Shortlisted

Written with lawyerly precision and clarity of thought, Shortlisted offers a comprehensive yet succinct look at the history of women in the Supreme Court with implications for women and minorities everywhere. … Straddling many disciplines, this book is well-researched, well-organized and well-argued. I rule in its favor. ~The Observer

[Shortlisted] tells the political and personal sagas of women publicly considered for appointment to the Supreme Court but never actually nominated by a president... With fresh research, the authors effectively humanize the women who never received the nominations they deserved. ~Kirkus Reviews

Accessible and engagingly written, Shortlisted makes a significant contribution to understanding how justices are nominated and the hurdles women face when they strive to reach the highest levels of the legal profession ... The book presents a polished narrative. It is concise and well researched. ~Law.com

Piecing together their personal papers and archives, as well as relevant news coverage, Johnson and Jefferson introduce readers to the ambitious women who built influential legal careers and advanced a female presence in the federal courts, especially the Supreme Court...The authors compellingly argue that representation of diverse women in leadership positions is in everybody’s best interest. An excellent contribution...and essential for anyone who values diversity. ~Library Journal

[F]ascinating and painstakingly researched...Shortlisted is a wake-up call about the persistence of gender inequality. This book represents an important step beyond shortlisting and tokenism toward true selection. ~Texas Bar Journal

Shortlisted is a fascinating read for observers of the Supreme Court, and anyone concerned about diversity and inclusion in the judiciary, our profession, and society. The stories of the remarkable, but mostly unknown, women shortlisted for our highest court fill an important historical gap. ~NAELA Journal Online

This eloquently written and captivating story of the not insignificant number of women once considered to fill vacancies dating back to the 1930s on the U.S. Supreme Court aims to achieve not only the filling of the major gap in history of those women who ‘could have been’, but also offers strategies for changing the future course of “her-story” by acknowledging these women’s contributions in the struggle for gender equality ... While many scholarly works leave us yearning for more, Shortlisted follows through on its promise to provide practical advice for mechanisms of change and hope for the future. ~Law and Politics Book Review

Legal scholarship that creates new avenues of inquiry is inherently appealing, but when it also reveals obscured narratives of power in American society, you have the makings of a truly important contribution. Shortlisted is all that and an engaging read besides. ~Legal Profession Jotwell

T]imely and provocative...[A] fascinating examination of the ‘herstories’ of the ‘shortlisted sisters’. ~Law and Society

Shortlisted is remarkable not only for what it tells us about the women who made the presidential shortlists of potential Supreme Court nominees but for what it tells us about how our nation then and now continues to struggle with understanding equality. May the stories of these extraordinary women and the demonstrated leadership of the women who have made it to the pinnacle of the legal profession through service on our highest court drive us each to realize the great potential of our country that still awaits us. ~Judy Perry Martinez, American Bar Association President

Stunningly original in its focus and its careful research, Shortlisted is beautifully written and an important addition to the literature about the Supreme Court, the process of nominating justices, and the role of gender in American law. ~Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean and Jesse H. Choper Distinguished Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley School of Law

This is a major contribution to the story of women lawyers. The authors study women whose trajectories were never before systematically examined - women shortlisted for the Supreme Court. What they describe is all the more remarkable because it involves remarkable women – portraying women in gendered and unfavorable ways; emphasizing diversity by putting women on shortlists, but not selecting them; saving a seat for certain groups but not for women. It sounds so familiar in other contexts, but it is shocking in this one. The message is clear and troubling: If women who are the elite of the profession can be treated shabbily, we have much more to do. ~Hon. Nancy Gertner, U.S.D.Ct. Judge (Ret.)

Masterfully tells the story of the women who were considered for nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court. It is a must read. ~Carla Pratt, Dean of Washburn University School of Law and former Associate Justice for the Supreme Court of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, North Dakota

This fascinating book reconstructs a chapter of women's history that has been hiding in plain sight: the numerous qualified women whose names were floated for the Supreme Court but who never got there. Just as they were overlooked, so have their individual stories been—until now. ~Linda Greenhouse, New York Times contributing columnist

A well written, logically organized, and thoroughly researched exploration ... a significant contribution to the sociolegal literature on the judicial selection process. ~Law and Society Review