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<p>The confirmation hearings of U.S. Supreme Court justices held by the Senate Judiciary Committee have been the subject of substantial criticism. Yet, critics typically fail to outline exactly what they want the hearings to accomplish. This article critically examines the purpose and history of confirmation hearings in an effort to shine light on the value that the hearings can add to the Supreme Court selection process. It also discusses three changes that can be made to help the confirmation hearings achieve their promise as an important venue for vetting future members of the Supreme Court and reaching a shared understanding of constitutional meanings among the American public.</p>
</abstract>

The confirmation hearings of U.S. Supreme Court justices held by the Senate Judiciary Committee have been the subject of substantial criticism. Yet, critics typically fail to outline exactly what they want the hearings to accomplish. This article critically examines the purpose and history of confirmation hearings in an effort to shine light on the value that the hearings can add to the Supreme Court selection process. It also discusses three changes that can be made to help the confirmation hearings achieve their promise as an important venue for vetting future members of the Supreme Court and reaching a shared understanding of constitutional meanings among the American public.

Improving the Senate Judiciary Committee's Role in the Confirmation of Supreme Court Justices

J. Alton Hosch Professor of Law and Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor

Professor of Legal Studies and Political Science, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

British Journal of American Legal Studies

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

The confirmation hearings of U.S. Supreme Court justices held by the Senate Judiciary Committee have been the subject of substantial criticism. Yet, critics...

Improving the Senate Judiciary Committee's Role in the Confirmation of Supreme Court Justices

Published Online: May 18, 2022

Page range: 363 - 378

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/bjals-2021-0010

Keywords
Supreme Court, Senate Judiciary Committee, Constitution, Confirmation, Reform

© 2021 Lori A. Ringhand et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Improving the Senate Judiciary Committee's Role in the Confirmation of Supreme Court Justices

Published Online: May 18, 2022

Page range: 363 - 378

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/bjals-2021-0010

KeywordsSupreme Court, Senate Judiciary Committee, Constitution, Confirmation, Reform

© 2021 Lori A. Ringhand et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
Supreme Court, Senate Judiciary Committee, Constitution, Confirmation, Reform