Jun 23, 2023
Kathryn interviews Nancy Scherer who highlights the importance of diversity in courts, covering aspects like race, gender, and minority representation. The discussion also reveals the challenges faced in increasing diversity due to opposition regarding judges' qualifications and education. However, research shows no significant difference in the quality of judges from top-ranked or lower-ranked law schools. Nancy emphasizes that a diverse judiciary better serves all Americans and should be a priority in future appointments.
Who is The Guest?
Nancy Scherer has research and teaching interests in American
politics with a primary emphasis on judicial politics and public
law. She is the author of the book Scoring Points: Politicians,
Activists and the Lower Federal Court Appointment Process. The book
explores why the federal court appointment process has become such
a divisive political issue in the modern political era. Professor
Scherer has also published articles in the journals Political
Science Quarterly, Law and Society Review and Judicature on topics
such as judicial decision-making behavior and judicial appointment
politics. Currently, her research is focused on efforts to
diversify the racial and gender make-up of the federal judiciary,
and its potential impact on citizens' views of the justice system.
She was the 2002 recipient of the Edwin S. Corwin Award, given by
the American Political Science Association, for best dissertation
on public law.
Episode Resources
https://www.wellesley.edu/politicalscience/faculty/scherer
Episode Highlights
- Why diversifying the courts is important
- The relationship between legitimacy and diversity on the court, according to research findings
- Effect of increased court diversification on different demographic groups
- The challenges of balancing court legitimacy with diversification
- The increased importance of the Federalist Society in the court nomination process
- The potential impact of diversity on court decisions, notably on affirmative action in higher education
- The importance of diversity in cases related to various legal issues, particularly those involving personal experiences
- Discussing the focus on race, gender, and other identity-based diversity in studies instead of viewpoints or academic backgrounds
- The aspiration to achieve different types of diversity in the judiciary system
- Challenges Democrats face in promoting diversity within the judiciary and the potential criticism from Republicans
Episode Sponsored By
https://www.lexisnexis.com/lexisplus
Subscribe, Share and Review
To get the next episode subscribe with your favorite podcast
player.