Free to Judge

Michael S. Kang is the Class of 1940 Professor at Northwestern University's Pritzker School of Law. He recently served on the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court and was the co-editor of Race, Reform, and Regulation of the Electoral Process (2011). He has also published extensively in law reviews including Yale Law Journal and Stanford Law Review.Joanna M. Shepherd is Vice Dean and Thomas Simmons Professor of Law at Emory University School of Law. She is the author of two previous books and her work has appeared in dozens of legal and academic publications including The Journal of Law & Economics, Stanford Law Review, and Michigan Law Review. Her empirical research has been cited by numerous courts, including twice by the U.S. Supreme Court.

1. The Modern Era of Big Money Judicial Elections 2. The Rise of Judicial Elections: How We Got Where We Are 3. The Crocodile in the Bathtub: How Elections and Money Influence Judges 4. Why Money Matters 5. How to Fix Judicial Elections and Campaign Finance

"State judiciaries receive short shrift in much of legal education and scholarship, which is a great pity given how important and interesting they are. In this wonderful and path breaking new book, two of the most creative and clear thinkers about courts apply their considerable theoretical and empirical skills to study the impact of money on state judicial elections. This book is going to change the way many of us think and teach about the judiciary."-Mitu Gulati, University of Virginia "Professors Shepherd and Kang thoughtfully address an issue toxic to our democracy: the influence of campaign money in state judicial elections. As their research shows, this money pushes judges away from the rule of law and makes judges pawns of their donors. Fortunately, Shepherd and Kang also suggest a feasible and effective reform."-Marsha Ternus, former chief justice Iowa Supreme Court "An original approach to an important topic, this book is written in an engaging and accessibly way. The unique empirical analysis allows the authors to make a compelling case about the effects of campaign finance on judicial behavior."-Erwin Chemerinsky, author of Worse Than Nothing: The Dangerous Fallacy of Originalism "Ingeniously blending data science and legal analysis, this is an innovative and accessible program for justice system reform."-Publishers Weekly starred review