"[This book] emphasize[s] the notion that judges' behavior is not purely policy driven, but rather must be evaluated in the light of other institutional and personal factors that may shape behavior beyond attitudes... [T]he influence of institutional factors (in the form of the importance of institutional legitimacy) has an instrumental or even strategic component: the justices recognize that to render ... Read moretheir policy pronouncements most effective, they must cite vital precedent."
Stefanie A. Lindquist, Law and Politics Book Review "The authors have done a commendable job in showing how both law and politics matter when the Supreme Court interprets precedent... [Their] uncluttered explanation of the substance of their theory and findings makes The Politics of Precedent accessible to any student of the Supreme Court."
Mark S. Hurwitz, Political Science Quarterly "There is much to like in this book. The empirical analysis is carefully executed and accessible even to those without training in higher-level statistics... [This book] will be of interest to scholars of the judiciary, and [it] will be cited regularly and routinely assigned in graduate classes in judicial politics."
Chris W. Bonneau, Perspectives on Politics Show Less