"Crowe takes the position that, despite the conventional wisdom that the institutional legitimacy of the federal judiciary is a product of its own decisions, the growth of the institutional development and legitimacy of the national courts is a result of continued and strategic decisions made by political actors outside the judiciary. This interesting, important, and timely thesis is supported by ... Read morethe author's use of events through history. Crowe proves to be a master storyteller; the book is excellently researched and written, and the thesis is strongly and articulately supported... Scholars interested in the judiciary, American political development, Congress, and U.S. history will benefit from this thoughtful book."
Choice "Building the Judiciary is excellently written and accessible to readers who may have no background in American politics. I highly recommend the book to comparative judicial politics scholars who want to learn about the institutional development of the American federal judiciary."
Maria Popova, Perspectives on Politics "To illustrate the political process of constructing federal judicial institutions, Crowe has composed a book of remarkable architectural elegance."
Stephen M. Engel, Tulsa Law Review Show Less