What motivates judges as decision makers? Political scientist Lawrence Baum offers a new
perspective on this crucial question, a perspective based on judges' interest in the approval …

One of the most contentious issues in politics today is the propriety of electing judges. Ought
judges be independent of democratic processes in obtaining and retaining their seats, or …

How much does a voter's attitude towards female versus male leadership manifest itself at
the ballot box and when does information regarding candidate qualifications or the lack …

We study how two selection systems for public officials, appointment and election, affect
policy outcomes, focusing on state court judges and their criminal sentencing decisions …

Do state supreme courts act impartially or are they swayed by public opinion? Do judicial
elections influence judge behavior? To date these questions have received little direct …

While studies of public confidence in institutions have long been a part of the public opinion
literature, systematic analysis of public confidence in America's lower courts has been …

Most US state supreme court justices face elections or reappointment by elected officials,
and research suggests that judicial campaigns have come to resemble those for other …

Conventional wisdom holds that appointed judges are superior to elected judges because
appointed judges are less vulnerable to political pressure. However, there is little empirical …

Women and Politics: Paths to Power and Political Influence examines the role of women in
politics from the early women's movements to the female politicians in power today. The …

Institutional legitimacy is perhaps the most important political capital courts possess. Many
believe, however, that the legitimacy of elected state courts is being threatened by the rise of …