Advice and Consent

"Epstein and Segal's useful primer on the confirmation process makes clear that the American method of choosing federal judges is not always designed to produce moderate candidates. When one party controls both the presidency and the Senate, it gets the chance to alter the legal status quo. Epstein and Segal chart the ideology of presidents against the ideology and voting records of their Supreme Court nominees and show that most justices match up fairly well with their presidents over time."--Emily Bazelon, Washington Post Book World

"Thoughtful and illuminating.... Qualifications matter--as much today as they have in the past. (In that sense, President Bush might have done well to read Advice and Consent before nominating the ill-fated Miers.)"--Jeffrey Rosen, Chronicle of Higher Education

"A thorough look at the process, politics and presidential aspects of court appointments. Witty yet well-informed, Professors Epstein and Segal give an insight into the whys and wherefores of federal judge appointments."--www.mayitpleasethecourt.com

"This is a superb and even indispensable resource. Careful, precise, objective, and nugget-filled, it's a wonderful guide to past, present, and future debates. If you want to know about judicial appointments, this is the best place to start."--Cass R. Sunstein, University of Chicago Law School

"As political scientists Lee Epstein and Jeffrey Segal show in their new and timely book, Advice and Consent, the modern era of politicized nomination battles is nothing new: Politics has suffused the judicial appointment process for 200 years. Writing in pristine, jargon-free language, Epstein and Segal use historical illustrations and the latest quantitative methods to inject some much-needed context and evidence into the current debate about judicial appointments."--Sam Rosenfeld, The American Prospect

"There is little doubt that Epstein and Segal are two of the most prominent public law scholars.... They draw together a wealth of research and empirical findings from a plethora of studies, many of which they authored, and fold them into a compelling narrative that examines all levels of the judiciary.... This book combines the best features of past studies on judicial appointments. There are anecdotes to enrich the narrative combined with all manner of empirical results and tables. The book will be a valuable resource for scholars and instructors. It is also very accessible for students and citizens interested in the judicial branch. In addition, this well-written book has the added virtue of being very timely."--Richard L. Pacelle, Jr., Law and Politics Book Review

"An important and timely study that adds an essential framework for understanding contemporary slugfests over judicial appointments. Beautifully presented and argued." --Louis Fisher, author of American Constitutional Law

"Thoughtful.... Provides illuminating details on the history and merits of the confirmation process."--New York Post