The Long Shortlist: Women Considered for the Supreme Court

Abstract

This is a review of the book Shortlisted: Women in the Shadows of the Supreme Court. While much has been written about the four women who were ultimately selected to serve as Supreme Court justices, this book provides insight into the many women who were shortlisted but ultimately not appointed to the Court. This surprisingly dates back to 1924, when evidence suggests that President Calvin Coolidge considered appointing Florence Allen. While the book is highly recommended, this review mainly focuses on areas of critique, including misleading statistics, the perpetuation of harmful stereotypes, and accusations of “tokenism.”