Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2022
Department
Political Science
Abstract
It is well established that the federal judiciary has been an overwhelmingly White and male institution since its creation and continues to be so today. Even as presidents of both parties have looked to diversify their judicial nominees, this has tended to result in the appointment of White women and men of color rather than women of color. Using data on the confirmed federal district and circuit court judges from presidents Clinton through Trump, we assess how the backgrounds of women of color nominated to the federal judiciary compare with those of other appointees. The results indicate that, compared to White male judges, women of color judges accrue more types of professional experience before their appointments, are more likely to have had prior experience as a judge, and are generally nominated earlier in their careers.
ThinkIR Citation
Moyer, Laura; Solberg, Rorie Spill; and Harris, Allison, ""Better Too Much Than Not Enough": Women of Color on the Federal Bench" (2022). Faculty Scholarship. 735.
https://ir.library.louisville.edu/faculty/735
ORCID
0000-0002-5802-801X
Included in
Judges Commons, Political Science Commons, Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies Commons, Women's Studies Commons
Comments
This article has been accepted for publication in Journal of Women, Politics, and Policy, published by Taylor & Francis.