Summer Reading: Are Judges Political?

Want to know how Republican appointees and Democratic appointees differ? Want to know how judges vote, depending on whether they're sitting with Republican appointees or Democratic ones? Want to know whether federal courts have been getting more conservative, and whether Bush appointees differ from Reagan appointees?

Are Judges Political?, the first major product of the Chicago Judges Project, is now out in published book form. Two of the authors are recent Chicago grads: Lisa Ellman and Andres Sawacki. A third author is David Schkade. The fourth author is a certain someone (hint: his name rhymes with Bunstein) everyone here warmly knows.

The book itself is up for sale at all the normal places online. For reviews and a summary, click over to the Brookings website. (And, while browsing in the genre, don't forget our pal Adrian Vermeule's new book, Judging Under Uncertainty, which is also newly out this summer.)

Comments

[Kimball Corson]

I think the title could as well have been "Are Judges Not Political?"

[Andy]

I am a former atty..have not practiced in more than a decade..have not studied con law since the early eighties...I just read the Plame civil complaint with great interest..however, it seems all the causes of action are predicated on Bivens..my sense is that Bivens is very narrow..does this mean that the Plame case is susceptible to a motion to dismiss....it would be great to read some great legal analysis by someone who knows this area..thanks.