Political Science Professor’s Book Named an Outstanding Academic Title by Choice Magazine
Congratulations to Dr. Amy Steigerwalt whose coauthored book The Puzzle of Unanimity: Consensus on the United States Supreme Court (Stanford University Press, with Pamela Corley and Artemus Ward) was named a 2014 outstanding academic title by Choice Magazine.
From the publisher:
The U.S. Supreme Court typically rules on cases that present complex legal questions. Given the challenging nature of its cases and the popular view that the Court is divided along ideological lines, it’s commonly assumed that the Court routinely hands down equally-divided decisions. Yet the justices actually issue unanimous decisions in approximately one third of the cases they decide.
Drawing on data from the U.S. Supreme Court database, internal court documents, and the justices’ private papers, The Puzzle of Unanimity provides the first comprehensive account of how the Court reaches consensus. Pamela Corley, Amy Steigerwalt, and Artemus Ward propose and empirically test a theory of consensus; they find consensus is a function of multiple, concurrently-operating forces that cannot be fully accounted for by ideological attitudes. In this thorough investigation, the authors conclude that consensus is a function of the level of legal certainty and its ability to constrain justices’ ideological preferences.
Other publications by Dr. Steigerwalt include:
- “Minority Representation, the Electoral Connection, and the Confirmation Vote of Sonia Sotomayor.” 2013. Justice System Journal 34(2): 189-207. (with Richard L. Vining and Tara W. Stricko).
- “Revisiting the Roosevelt Court: The Critical Juncture from Consensus to Dissensus.” 2013. Journal of Supreme Court History 38: 20-50. (with Pamela C. Corley and Artemus Ward).
- “Bias and the Bar: Evaluating the ABA’s Ratings of Federal Judicial Nominees.” 2012. Political Research Quarterly 65: 827-840. (with Richard L. Vining and Susan Navarro Smelcer).
- Judging Law and Policy: Courts and Policymaking in the American Political System. 2011. New York: Routledge. (with Robert M. Howard).
- Battle Over the Bench: Senators, Interest Groups and Lower Court Confirmations. 2010. Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press.