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First published online December 1, 2011

Bias and the Bar: Evaluating the ABA Ratings of Federal Judicial Nominees

Abstract

The vetting of potential federal judges by the Standing Committee on Federal Judiciary of the American Bar Association (ABA) is politically controversial. Conservatives allege the Standing Committee is biased against Republican nominees. The ABA and its defenders argue the ABA rates nominees objectively based on their qualifications. The authors investigate whether accusations of liberal bias have merit. They analyze all individuals nominated to the U.S. Courts of Appeals from 1977 to 2008. Using genetic matching methods and ordered logit models, the authors find evidence of bias against Republican nominees in the ABA’s ratings. They conclude by discussing the implications of these results.

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References

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Published In

Article first published online: December 1, 2011
Issue published: December 2012

Keywords

  1. confirmation process
  2. judges
  3. judicial selection
  4. judicial nominations

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© 2012 University of Utah.
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Authors

Affiliations

Susan Navarro Smelcer
Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
Amy Steigerwalt
Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
Richard L. Vining, Jr.
University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA

Notes

Richard L. Vining, Jr., University of Georgia, 355 S. Jackson Street, 104 Baldwin Hall, Athens, GA 30602 Email: [email protected]

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