The ABA holds no formal authority yet wields informal power over judicial nominations

Evidence

The ABA exercises no direct authority over individual lawyers or the state bar associations that regulate the legal profession. Nonetheless, the ABA conducts a wide range of activities (see http://www.abanet.org); and, as the recognized voice of the legal profession, it exerts considerable influence. As Chapter 3 described, until recently, presidents requested that the ABA’s Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary evaluate the qualifications of prospective federal judges, and nominees who received an “unqualified” rating from the committee were unlikely to be confirmed. — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 670

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the structural theme of informal versus formal institutional power that runs through the judicial process course. — connects to: The ABA lacks direct authority yet wields influence over the legal profession. — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 670; The ABA lacks regulatory power yet wields influence as the profession’s recognized voice. — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 1031; Judicial merit is necessary but never decisive in federal appointments. — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 460 (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• The ABA’s unofficial pre-screening role in judicial selection waxed and waned with presidential politics. #exemplifies (0.92) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 681
• The ABA lacks regulatory power yet wields influence as the profession’s recognized voice. #expands (0.90) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 1031
• The ABA’s qualification ratings historically shaped which judicial nominees won confirmation #corroborates (0.90) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 473
• The ABA lacks direct authority yet wields influence over the legal profession. #expands (0.88) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 670
• Ideological disputes over abortion ended the ABA’s privileged role in judicial selection #complicates (0.82) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 474
• No judicial selection system fully eliminates political influence #qualifies (0.75) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 498
• Judicial merit is necessary but never decisive in federal appointments. #qualifies (0.72) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 460