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Michael J Gerhardt, The Challenges of Constructing the Supreme Court by the Numbers: A Review Article, Political Science Quarterly, 2024;, qqae122, https://doi.org/10.1093/psquar/qqae122
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Abstract
This review article discusses the strengths and possible limitations of the new book, Making the Supreme Court: The Politics of Appointments, 1930–2020 by Charles M. Cameron and John P. Kastellec. The book, which provides the most extensive empirical analysis of the political construction of the Supreme Court yet written, including conventional and creative analyses of political influences shaping the Supreme Court. The book raises but does not resolve several important questions. While it illuminates some possible answers, a more nuanced analysis is needed in the future to capture the connection between the composition and direction of the Court, particularly in light of unforeseen developments in the law that challenge conventional notions of liberal and conservative jurists.