Shortlisted

Winner, Next Generation Indie Book Awards - Women's NonfictionBest Book of 2020, National Law JournalThe inspiring and previously untold history of the women considered—but not selected—for the US Supreme CourtIn 1981, Sandra Day O’Connor became the first female justice on the United States Supreme Court after centuries of male appointments, a watershed moment in the long struggle for gender equality. Yet few know about the remarkable women considered in the decades before her triumph.Shortlisted tells the overlooked stories of nine extraordinary women—a cohort large enough to seat the entire Supreme Court—who appeared on presidential lists dating back to the 1930s. Florence Allen, the first female judge on the highest court in Ohio, was named repeatedly in those early years. Eight more followed, including Amalya Kearse, a federal appellate judge who was the first African American woman viewed as a potential Supreme Court nominee. Award-winning scholars Renee Knake Jefferson and Hannah Brenner Johnson cleverly weave together long-forgotten materials from presidential libraries and private archives to reveal the professional and personal lives of these accomplished women.In addition to filling a notable historical gap, the book exposes the tragedy of the shortlist. Listing and bypassing qualified female candidates creates a false appearance of diversity that preserves the status quo, a fate all too familiar for women, especially minorities. Shortlisted offers a roadmap to combat enduring bias and discrimination. It is a must-read for those seeking positions of power as well as for the powerful who select them in the legal profession and beyond.

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., [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., 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., 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., [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.

Hannah Brenner Johnson (Author) Hannah Brenner Johnson is Vice Dean for Academic and Student Affairs and Associate Professor of Law at California Western School of Law in San Diego.Renee Knake Jefferson (Author) Renee Knake Jefferson is Professor of Law and the Doherty Chair in Legal Ethics at the University of Houston and author of Shortlisted: Women in the Shadows of the Supreme Court.Melissa Murray (Foreword by) Melissa Murray is Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law at New York University School of Law and MSNBC Commentator.