Legal Blogs and the Supreme Court Confirmation Process

Abstract:     
Blogs are like television: potentially a terrific educational tool, but often just pedestrian entertainment. While legal bloggers can hope that their blogs are different, there are only a few notable examples of legal bloggers having leveraged their blogs for professional purposes. And the legal academy is still coming to grips with blogging: is it scholarship, public service, or just a hobby?

Yet legal blogs are having an important impact on the Supreme Court confirmation process. Supreme Court nominations are relatively rare events, even though 2005 saw not one, but three nominees: John Roberts, Harriet Miers, and Samuel Alito. Although the nomination process occurs infrequently, the impact of legal blogging on the Supreme Court confirmation process may shed light on other areas where legal blogging will impact the legal community.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 11

Keywords: blogs, supreme court confirmation process, legal blogs, supreme court nominations

Accepted Paper Series