Battle over the Bench: Senators, Interest Groups, and Lower Court Confirmations

Contents

List of Tables and Figures ix Acknowledgments xi Introduction: The Changing Tone of Lower Federal Court Confirmations 1 1 What Makes a Nomination Run into Trouble? Senators, Interest Groups, and the Four Tracks to Confirmation 23 2 Death to Nominees: Senatorial Courtesy and the Ability to “Kill” Judicial Confirmations 49 3 “Herding Cats”: Holds and Private Political Fights 67 4 Interest Groups and Judicial Confirmations: A View from the Senate 95 5 Interest Groups and the Decision to Object: Sending Confirmations down the Public Partisan Track 119 6 Whither Nominees? The Fate of Nominations Sent down the Public Partisan Track 149 Conclusion: What the Future Holds for Lower Court Nominations and the Senate Confirmation Process 185 Appendixes A: Data Collection Methodology 199 B: Variable Descriptions and Measurements for Tobit Regressions 202 C: Circuit Court Nominations Opposed by Interest Groups, 99th–109th Congresses (1985–2006) 207 Notes 209 Bibliography 237 Index 253 CONTENTS This page intentionally left blank ...