Partisan and political weakness drives Supreme Court nominee rejections

Evidence

The Senate is more likely to reject a nominee if the Senate and presidency are controlled by different parties, or if the president is politically weakened by scandal, unpopular policies, or a forthcoming presidential election. Indeed, the Senate has confirmed 90 percent of nominees for the Supreme Court during the first three years of presidential terms, but less than 67 percent during the final year. The Senate also may reject nominees opposed by powerful interest groups. — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 543

Categorization

• DEFINE: The 90 vs 67 percent confirmation split by presidential term year is a precise examinable statistic.
• XREF: connects to: Partisan judicial confirmation battles stem from structural features of the appointment process — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 507; Appeals court nominee fights show harsh ideological and partisan politics — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 512; Divided government and lame-duck presidencies predict Supreme Court confirmation failure — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 543

Broader Connections

• Divided government and lame-duck presidencies predict Supreme Court confirmation failure #expands (0.85) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 543