Skip to main content
University of Michigan Press Ebook Collection

University of Michigan Press
Ebook Collection

Browse Books Help
Get access to more books. Log in with your institution.

Your use of this Platform is subject to the Fulcrum Terms of Service.

Share the story of what Open Access means to you

a graphic of a lock that is open, the universal logo for open access

University of Michigan needs your feedback to better understand how readers are using openly available ebooks. You can help by taking a short, privacy-friendly survey.

  1. Home
  2. Books
  3. It's Not Personal: Politics and Policy in Lower Court Confirmation Hearings

It's Not Personal: Politics and Policy in Lower Court Confirmation Hearings

Logan Dancey, Kjersten R. Nelson, and Eve M. Ringsmuth
Restricted You don't have access to this book. Please try to log in with your institution. Log in
Read Book Buy Book
  • Overview

  • Contents

In order to be confirmed to a lifetime appointment on the federal bench, all district and circuit court nominees must appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee for a confirmation hearing. Despite their relatively low profile, these lower court judges make up 99 percent of permanent federal judgeships and decide cases that relate to a wide variety of policy areas. To uncover why senators hold confirmation hearings for lower federal court nominees and the value of these proceedings more generally, the authors analyzed transcripts for all district and circuit court confirmation hearings between 1993 and 2012, the largest systematic analysis of lower court confirmation hearings to date. The book finds that the time-consuming practice of confirmation hearings for district and circuit court nominees provides an important venue for senators to advocate on behalf of their policy preferences and bolster their chances of being re-elected. The wide variation in lower court nominees' experiences before the Judiciary Committee exists because senators pursue these goals in different ways, depending on the level of controversy surrounding a nominee. Ultimately, the findings inform a (re)assessment of the role hearings play in ensuring quality judges, providing advice and consent, and advancing the democratic values of transparency and accountability.
  • Cover
  • Title Page
  • Copyright Page
  • Dedication
  • Contents
  • Acknowledgments
  • One. Introduction
  • Two. Confirmation Hearings
  • Three. An Overview of Confirmation Hearings, 1993–2012
  • Four. Why Do Senators Hold Confirmation Hearings?
  • Five. In Pursuit of Policy Goals
  • Six. Hearings as a Venue for Pursuing Electoral Goals
  • Seven. The Content and Consequences of Hearings for Controversial Nominees
  • Eight. The Value of Lower Court Confirmation Hearings
  • Appendixes
  • Notes
  • References
  • Index
Citable Link
Published: 2020
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
ISBN(s)
  • 978-0-472-12656-9 (ebook)
  • 978-0-472-13183-9 (hardcover)
Series
  • Legislative Politics and Policy Making
Subject
  • Political Science:American Politics
  • Political Science:Governance

Resources

Search and Filter Resources

Filter search results by

Section

  • Chapter 53
Filter search results by

Keyword

  • divided government3
  • nomination hearings3
  • Senate Judiciary Committee3
  • unified government
  • circuit balance2
  • more Keyword »
Filter search results by

Creator

  • Dancey, Logan3
  • Nelson, Kjersten3
  • Ringsmuthm, Eve3
Filter search results by

Format

  • chart3
Your search has returned 3 resources attached to It's Not Personal: Politics and Policy in Lower Court Confirmation Hearings

Search Constraints

Filtering by: Keyword unified government Remove constraint Keyword: unified government
Start Over

Not finding what you are looking for? Help improve Fulcrum's search and share your feedback.

1 - 3 of 3
  • First Appearance
  • Section (Earliest First)
  • Section (Last First)
  • Format (A-Z)
  • Format (Z-A)
  • Year (Oldest First)
  • Year (Newest First)
Number of results to display per page
  • 10 per page
  • 20 per page
  • 50 per page
  • 100 per page
View results as:
List Gallery

Search Results

The figure shows the predicted number of questions in the categories of Qualifications questions, Issues questions, and Judicial questions for district court nominees, comparing times of unified and divided government. In times of unified government, District court nominees can expect 2.06 Qualifications questions (with a confidence interval of 1.67 to 2.46); 0.73 Issues questions (with a confidence interval of 0.50 to 0.96); and 1.88 Judicial questions (with a confidence interval of 1.48 to 2.29). In times of divided government, District court nominees can expect 1.21 Qualifications questions (with a confidence interval of 0.94 to 1.49); 1.76 Issues questions (with a confidence interval of 1.38 to 2.13); and 2.27 Judicial questions (with a confidence interval of 1.89 to 2.65).

Predicted Questions by Category (District Nominees); Unified vs. Divided Government

From Chapter 5

Fig. 5.2. Predicted Questions by Category (District Nominees); Unified vs. Divided Government

When a circuit is evenly divided between Republican and Democratic nominees, the difference in the predicted number of questions between times of divided and unified government is 1.9 (p less than 0.05). As the circuit gets more unbalanced (i.e., more Democratic or Republican), the difference in times of unified and divided government decreases; between a circuit balance of .1 and .2, the difference becomes statistically insignificant.

Difference in Num. of Issues Questions; Comparing Unified vs. Divided Gov't

From Chapter 5

Fig. 5.4. Difference in Number of Issues Questions; Comparing Unified vs. Divided Government

Decision making questions between times of divided and unified government is -0.5, though the difference is not statistically significant. As the circuit gets more unbalanced (i.e., more Democratic or Republican), the difference in times of unified and divided government increases; by a circuit balance of .2, the difference becomes statistically significant (a predicted difference of 1.2, p less than 0.05). The predicted difference continues to increase as the circuit balance increases.

Difference in Num. of Judicial Phil./Dec. Making Questions; Comparing Unified vs. Divided Gov't

From Chapter 5

Fig. 5.5. Difference in Number of Judicial Decision Making and Philosophy Questions; Comparing Unified vs. Divided Government

University of Michigan Press Contact Us

UMP EBC

  • Browse and Search
  • About UMP EBC
  • Impact and Usage

Follow Us

  • UMP EBC Newsletter
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Quicklinks

  • Help/FAQ
  • Title List
  • MARC Records
  • KBART Records
  • Usage Stats
© 2023, Regents of the University of Michigan · Accessibility · Preservation · Privacy · Terms of Service
Powered by Fulcrum logo · Log In
x This site requires cookies to function correctly.