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Examines who is a diverse judge and how that idea has changed across time as it applies to federal courts.
Do America's courts resemble America? That is the central question Courting Political Minorities seeks to answer. As the United States has grown and changed over the years, the nation's courts have transformed as well, not only in terms of the kinds of disputes litigated but especially in terms of the people selected to become judges. In particular, the representative nature of the judiciary has changed over time. Authors Drew N. Lanier and Mark S. Hurwitz evaluate and analyze these transformations in judicial diversity and, moreover, define and examine judicial diversity beyond racial and gender diversity. Indeed, due to the unique and extensive role courts play in the United States, where judges determine the extent of individual rights, define the constitutionality and scope of governmental actions, and choose the winners and losers in litigation, judicial diversity has both symbolic and political importance. Illustrating the extent of diversity in our nation's federal courts today, as well as explaining how judicial diversity has changed over time in the United States, encompasses the central themes of this book.
"Lanier and Hurwitz tackle the important questions of diversity and representation with regard to the federal judiciary. Beyond examining these aspects in relation to race and gender, they offer a broader conceptualization of diversity that reflects society’s understanding across different historical eras. By expanding our understanding into aspects such as ethnicity, religion, education, and prior career experience, they provide a comprehensive view of all levels of federal courts. To examine these trends, they analyze a tremendous amount of data across the entire 250-year history of the United States. Doing so allows them to discuss how our collective notion of diversity has changed over time and how this evolution shapes our current debates." — Kirk A. Randazzo, University of South Carolina
Drew Noble Lanier is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Central Florida. Mark S. Hurwitz is Professor of Political Science at Western Michigan University.