"This book is a welcome addition to a young but growing body of scholarly work on rule-of-law construction in new democracies from a political science perspective. Rebecca Bill Chavez develops a persuasive study of the conditions under which rule of law is more likely to emerge, through an analysis of judicial politics at the national level in Argentina and in two of its provinces, San Luis and Mendoza."
Perspectives on Politics "Chavez's work is well written and reasoned and is an important contribution to the literature on judicial development in emerging democracies. The evidence cited in her work is compelling: Political competition does make a difference as to whether a judiciary will be able to operate free from political domination."
Comparative Politics "In her excellent book, Rebecca Bill Chavez intertwines legal, political, and historical analysis of Argentina to explore the conditions in which an independent judiciary emerges, consolidates, and endures. The book is not only timely but also important as a contribution to the literature....The skillful field research and historical insight coupled with theoretical analysis make this book a valuable and reliable piece of work."
Latin American Politics and Society "[A] very thought provoking work....[Chavez's] exploration of the interaction between the separation of powers and the role of courts over nearly a century and a half is elegant."
Latin American Research Review