Shortlisted: Women in the Shadows of the Supreme Court

This volume takes a humanizing approach to exploring gender representation on the U.S. Supreme Court. It details the personal and professional histories of not only the four women who have become justices but women who were short-listed but never nominated or confirmed. Piecing together their personal papers and archives, as well as relevant news coverage, Johnson (California Western Sch. of Law) and Jefferson (Univ. of Houston Law Ctr.) introduce readers to the ambitious women who built influential legal careers and advanced a female presence in the federal courts, especially the Supreme Court. Together, their accounts show that many talented women have been stymied in their career growth because of damaging beliefs about gender and they continue to face serious challenges today. The authors compellingly argue that representation of diverse women in leadership positions is in everybody’s best interest.