The Oxford Handbooks of American Politics are the essential guide to the study of American political life in the 21st Century. This handbook offers a comprehensive introduction to the study of judicial behaviour in state and federal courts.

PART I: STAFFING THE COURT; PART II: THE LITIGATION PROCESS AND APPELLATE REVIEW; PART III: JUDICIAL DECISION-MAKING AND OPINION CONTENT; PART IV: JUDGES AND THEIR PUBLICS; PART V: METHODS AND APPROACHES TO STUDYING THE COURTS

Life moves pretty fast and keeping up with all that goes on in a field as exciting as judicial politics is difficult. Epstein and Lindquist have assembled an all-star team of leading researchers, who have produced accessible essays that both inform readers about the topic and offer innovative ideas for future research. This volume provides a tremendous service to both scholars and students in the discipline and should be read by anyone with even a passing interest in judicial behavior.

Lee Epstein is the Ethan A.H. Shepley Distinguished University Professor at Washington University in St. Louis. She is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. Professor Epstein's research and teaching centres on law and legal institutions, especially the behaviour of judges. She has received 12 grants from the National Science Foundation and is the author or co-author of over 100 articles and essays and 17 books, most recently, The Behavior of Federal Judges (with William M. Landes and Richard A. Posner) and An Introduction to Empirical Legal Research (with Andrew D. Martin). The New York Times and other news media frequently cite her work on the U.S. Supreme Court. Stefanie A. Lindquist serves as Deputy Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, and Foundation Professor of Law and Political Science, at Arizona State University. Her research and teaching falls at the intersection of law and politics. Her previous publications include Measuring Judicial Activism (with Frank Cross, 2009).