Justices, Presidents, and Senators: A History of U.S. Supreme Court Appointments from Washington to Clinton

by Henry J. Abraham

Overview

Available in paperback for the first time since the 1970s, this totally revised and updated classic is the most comprehensive and accessible history of the first 108 members of the U.S. Supreme Court ever written. Henry J. Abraham, one of the nation's preeminent scholars of the judicial branch, addresses the vital questions of why individual justices were nominated to the highest court, how their nominations were received by legislators of the day, whether the appointees ultimately lived up to the expectations of the American public, and the legacy of their jurisprudence on the development of American law and society. Abraham's insights into the history of the Supreme Court are unrivaled by other studies of the subject, and among his numerous observations is that fully one-fifth of its members were viewed as failures by the presidents who appointed them. Enhanced by photographs of every justice from 1789 to 1999, Abraham's eloquent writing and meticulous research guarantee that this book will interest both general readers and scholars.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780847696048
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	09/22/1999
Edition description:	revised edition
Pages:	448
Product dimensions:	7.39(w) x 10.37(h) x 1.07(d)

About the Author

Henry J. Abraham is one of the country's most respected scholars of the U.S. Supreme Court. James Hart Professor of Government and Foreign Affairs, Emeritus, at the University of Virginia and the author of numerous works, he lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introductory Reflections: Of Criteria, Evaluations, and Judgements Chapter 2 The Nixon Era: A Turbulent Case Study Chapter 3 How They Get There: Appointing Supreme Court Justices Chapter 4 Why They Get There: Qualifications and Rationalizations Chapter 5 The First Forty Years: From George Washington to John Quincy Adams, 1789-1829 Chapter 6 The Next Forty Years: From Andrew Jackson to Andrew Johnson, 1829-1869 Chapter 7 The Balance of the Nineteenth Century: From Ulysses S. Grant to William McKinley, 1869-1901 Chapter 8 Into the Twentieth Century: From Theodore Roosevelt to Herbert Hoover, 1901-1933 Chapter 9 The Court Alters Course: FDR and Truman, 1933-1953 Chapter 10 The Warren Court: From Ike to LBJ, 1953-1969 Chapter 11 The Burger Court: From Nixon to Reagan, 1969-1986 Chapter 12 The Rehnquist Court: Reagan, Bush, and Clinton, 1986- Chapter 13 Epilogue

What People are Saying About This

David M. O'Brien

A definitive and fascinating study of the political history of Presidents appointing and the Senate confirming (or not) Supreme Court justices.

Keith J. Bybee

Everyone agrees that the selection of Supreme Court justices is important, but there is far less agreement about how the selection process is run and whether it actually yields good justices. Henry Abraham's magisterial Justices, Presidents, and Senators has long supplied a stable point of reference in this stormy debate over how the high bench is staffed and how well its members do their jobs. His updated and revised survey of presidential motivations, senatorial maneuvering, and judicial performance is sweeping in its scope, surefooted in its analysis, and will shape scholarly debate and informed public discussion for years to come.

Kevin T. McGuire

No book has done more to illuminate the history and the politics of appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court than Henry J. Abraham's Justices, Presidents, and Senators. Every page reveals Abraham's in-depth knowledge of how the major players and their goals have combined with the institutional constraints of an evolving selection system to determine the composition of the Court. It is replete with the kind of detail that one rarely finds in a single volume, all presented in Abraham's brilliant prose. The book is an indispensable reference —- and a pleasure to read!

Lee Epstein

I consult Justices, Presidents, and Senators on a weekly, if not daily, basis. Without question, it is the most balanced, the most accurate, and the most authoritative treatment of appointments to the Court. With this new edition, the inimitable Henry Abraham has pulled off what only he could do: improve on perfection.

Christine L. Nemacheck

Henry Abraham's seminal work on US Supreme Court appointments is essential reading for anyone interested in the appointment of Supreme Court justices over the course of US history. Abraham's identification of criteria important in the appointment process has laid the groundwork for much of the continuing scholarship on judicial appointments. His historically rich discussion of the appointment of justices by Presidents from Washington to Bush will fascinate scholars and generally interested readers alike.

Barbara A. Perry

Abraham's up-to-date classic is THE DEFINITIVE book on Supreme Court appointments. No wonder it graces the shelves of the justices' libraries! All Court observers will relish its eloquent, insightful, vivid descriptions of judicial politics and history.

Timothy R. Johnson

Henry Abraham illuminates the Supreme Court in a way that is accessible to legal academics, political scientists, and more general court watchers alike. His insights into the choices presidents made for their appointments to the bench are first rate, as is his analysis of the impact and success of those chosen to sit on the nation’s highest Court. For anyone seeking a comprehensive history of the Supreme Court, as well as of its nomination and confirmation process, Justices, Presidents, and Senators is a must read.

Mark Graber

Justices, Presidents, and Senators is the rare classic that has remained a classic for almost a half century. Every student of constitutional law, politics, history, and development has read this book and looks forward to each new edition.

Herbert Kritzer

Justices, Presidents. and Senators is the standard reference book for anyone interested in understanding how the selection of Supreme Court justices has evolved over the course of American history. The new edition of Professor Abraham's book does not disappoint. Whether one agrees or disagrees with his analytic framework, the core information Professor Abraham provides is essential for anyone interested in the politics of judicial selection including scholars, policy actors, and informed citizens.

Keith E. Whittington

This book has long been the essential starting point for any informed citizen or student hoping to learn about Supreme Court appointments. It is full of lively details and thick with insights about the long history of the sometimes uneasy relationships between presidents, justices, and senators.

Nancy Maveety

The updated edition of Abraham's Justices, Presidents, and Senators affirms its status as a classic in the field of judicial politics. Providing historical context for the timely question of new appointments to the Supreme Court, Abraham offers a sophisticated and richly detailed analysis of the process of federal judicial selection and the political and legal factors that influence nomination and confirmation of judicial candidates.

Editorial Reviews

This latest edition of a book that first appeared in 1974 has become an indispensable reference for historians of the Court, and retains its character as a lively and useful examination of Supreme Court appointments and the evolution of the appointments process over time. With commendable even-handedness and good humor, Abraham has recounted the stories of the one hundred eight successful nominations to the Court and the many failed nominations (some obscure, some spectacular).

H-Net: Humanities and Social Science Reviews Online

Professor Abraham is a writer of superior talent. His narrative is well-paced, cleanly written, and always accessible. Professor Abraham offers a lively history of our national politics, with a focus on the presidency and the Court. The story is colorful and fast-moving in his hands. The author is never reluctant to offer his opinion while serving up his narrative. His comments surely add to the distinctive flavor of the story. The author is remarkably even-handed in his analysis. There is no partisan bias in his wry comments and choice of wording. Professor Abraham has long been the most respected scholar on this topic. This superlative book in its several editions has helped establish and maintain his reputation. It is highly rewarding and enjoyable reading.

Appellate Practice Journal

Now in a fully revised and updated edition, Henry Abraham's Justices, Presidents, and Senators: A History of the U.S. Supreme Court Appointments from Washington to Clinton continues to be the most comprehensive and accessible popular history of the first 108 members of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Reviewer's Bookwatch

His style is easily accessible for students, the reading public, and scholars alike. My strongest regret regarding this work is that I'm not the author, for it promises to enhance interest and understanding in the appointment process and in the Court itself. There is nothing else out there like it, and there doesn't need to be. Abraham's design was solidly conceived from the beginning, was well executed with his easy prose and solid scholarship, and deserves to be read by a new generation.

Law and Politics Book Review - George Watson

Written by one of America's greatest Court watchers, this book is a convenient reference and is chock full of useful information about the Court, the justices, and the behind-the-scenes considerations of selecting justices.

Choice Reviews - M. M. Feeley

This latest edition of a book that first appeared in 1974 has become an indispensable reference for historians of the Court, and retains its character as a lively and useful examination of Supreme Court appointments and the evolution of the appointments process over time. With commendable even-handedness and good humor, Abraham has recounted the stories of the one hundred eight successful nominations to the Court and the many failed nominations (some obscure, some spectacular).

H-Net: Humanities and Social Science Reviews Online

His style is easily accessible for students, the reading public, and scholars alike. My strongest regret regarding this work is that I'm not the author, for it promises to enhance interest and understanding in the appointment process and in the Court itself. There is nothing else out there like it, and there doesn't need to be. Abraham's design was solidly conceived from the beginning, was well executed with his easy prose and solid scholarship, and deserves to be read by a new generation.
— George Watson, Arizona State University

The Law and Politics Book Review

Written by one of America's greatest Court watchers, this book is a convenient reference and is chock full of useful information about the Court, the justices, and the behind-the-scenes considerations of selecting justices.
— M. M. Feeley, University of California, Berkeley

Choice

Written by one of America's greatest Court watchers, this book is a convenient reference and is chock full of useful information about the Court, the justices, and the behind-the-scenes considerations of selecting justices.
— M. M. Feeley, University of California, Berkeley

CHOICE

No book has done more to illuminate the history and the politics of appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court than Henry J. Abraham's Justices, Presidents, and Senators. Every page reveals Abraham's in-depth knowledge of how the major players and their goals have combined with the institutional constraints of an evolving selection system to determine the composition of the Court. It is replete with the kind of detail that one rarely finds in a single volume, all presented in Abraham's brilliant prose. The book is an indispensable reference —- and a pleasure to read!

Kevin T. McGuire

The updated edition of Abraham's Justices, Presidents, and Senators affirms its status as a classic in the field of judicial politics. Providing historical context for the timely question of new appointments to the Supreme Court, Abraham offers a sophisticated and richly detailed analysis of the process of federal judicial selection and the political and legal factors that influence nomination and confirmation of judicial candidates.

Nancy Maveety

Henry Abraham illuminates the Supreme Court in a way that is accessible to legal academics, political scientists, and more general court watchers alike. His insights into the choices presidents made for their appointments to the bench are first rate, as is his analysis of the impact and success of those chosen to sit on the nation’s highest Court. For anyone seeking a comprehensive history of the Supreme Court, as well as of its nomination and confirmation process, Justices, Presidents, and Senators is a must read.

Timothy R. Johnson

Justices, Presidents. and Senators is the standard reference book for anyone interested in understanding how the selection of Supreme Court justices has evolved over the course of American history. The new edition of Professor Abraham's book does not disappoint. Whether one agrees or disagrees with his analytic framework, the core information Professor Abraham provides is essential for anyone interested in the politics of judicial selection including scholars, policy actors, and informed citizens.

Herbert Kritzer

Based on a meticulously constructed and engagingly written historical narrative, Professor Abraham offers keen observations on the justices of the Supreme Court, the presidents who nominated them, and the senators who confirmed them. Justices, Presidents, and Senators provides readers with unique insights into the politics of judicial selection as well as the success (or failure) of individual justices in putting their imprimatur on the Court's jurisprudence. The result is a book that students will love and scholars will wish they had written.

Wendy L. Martinek

This book has long been the essential starting point for any informed citizen or student hoping to learn about Supreme Court appointments. It is full of lively details and thick with insights about the long history of the sometimes uneasy relationships between presidents, justices, and senators.

Keith E. Whittington

Henry Abraham's seminal work on US Supreme Court appointments is essential reading for anyone interested in the appointment of Supreme Court justices over the course of US history. Abraham's identification of criteria important in the appointment process has laid the groundwork for much of the continuing scholarship on judicial appointments. His historically rich discussion of the appointment of justices by Presidents from Washington to Bush will fascinate scholars and generally interested readers alike.

Christine L. Nemacheck

Everyone agrees that the selection of Supreme Court justices is important, but there is far less agreement about how the selection process is run and whether it actually yields good justices. Henry Abraham's magisterial Justices, Presidents, and Senators has long supplied a stable point of reference in this stormy debate over how the high bench is staffed and how well its members do their jobs. His updated and revised survey of presidential motivations, senatorial maneuvering, and judicial performance is sweeping in its scope, surefooted in its analysis, and will shape scholarly debate and informed public discussion for years to come.

Keith J. Bybee

Justices, Presidents, and Senators is the rare classic that has remained a classic for almost a half century. Every student of constitutional law, politics, history, and development has read this book and looks forward to each new edition.

Mark Graber

Dr. Abraham's up-to-date classic is THE DEFINITIVE book on Supreme Court appointments. No wonder it graces the shelves of the justices' libraries! All Court observers will relish its eloquent, insightful, vivid descriptions of judicial politics and history.

Barbara A. Perry

I consult Justices, Presidents, and Senators on a weekly, if not daily, basis. Without question, it is the most balanced, the most accurate, and the most authoritative treatment of appointments to the Court. With this new edition, the inimitable Henry Abraham has pulled off what only he could do: improve on perfection.

Lee Epstein

A definitive and fascinating study of the political history of Presidents appointing and the Senate confirming (or not) Supreme Court justices.

David M. O'Brien