Gender, Affirmative Action, and Recruitment to the Federal Bench

In the analysis which follows, an effort will be made to assess the historical record of the appointment of women to the federal bench. Extended consideration will be given to the Carter administration\u27s judicial recruitment behavior in an effort to assess the thrust and implications of the President\u27s affirmative action concerns. How successful was Carter in appointing women to the federal judiciary and how did the women appointees differ, if at all, from their male colleagues? Do women appointees follow a different path to the bench than males? Did affirmative action dilute the quality of the federal bench as many administration critics claimed or, alternatively, did criteria exist for women appointees which remained at a higher threshold than those employed for male candidates? Examination of these and other questions relies on a uniquely rich and penetrating data source. Finally, attention will be directed to President Reagan\u27s judicial selection behavior as manifested in his recruitment of women jurists during the first three years of his administration