In the United States, federal judges occupy weighty positions. They interpret the Constitution, define people's rights and liberties, and apply laws and regulations to myriad cases. They also are older than ever. In 2023, the median age of a federal judge reached 70 for the first time. Nearly one-third of federal judges exceeded the age of 75. And ten percent were 85 years or older. The federal judiciary has become a graying judiciary. Recent advances in neuroscience show that cognitive ag...

This book is the first study specifically to investigate the extent to which US Supreme Court justices alter the clarity of their opinions based on expected reactions from their audiences. The authors examine this dynamic by creating a unique measure of opinion clarity and then testing whether the Court writes clearer opinions when it faces ideologically hostile and ideologically scattered lower federal courts; when it decides cases involving poorly performing federal agencies; when it dec...

United States Supreme Court justices make decisions that have a profound impact on American society. Empirical legal scholars have portrayed justices as either single-minded or strategic seekers of policy, and there is little room in these theories for things like law, reputation, or personality. This book offers a fresh perspective that will jar Supreme Court scholarship out of complacency. It argues that justices' personalities influence their behavior, which in turn influences legal dev...

The U.S. Supreme Court, with its controlled, highly institutionalized decision-making practices, provides an ideal environment for studying coalition formation. The process begins during the oral argument stage, which provides the justices with their first opportunity to hear one another's attitudes and concerns specific to a case. This information gathering allows them eventually to form a coalition.In order to uncover the workings of this process, the authors analyze oral argumen...

JoeyI don't want to be someone's dirty little secret. I know all too well what that feels like.Guarding my heart means staying out of pro football player Brock Williams's bed and out of the spotlight. After all these years, he's exactly like I remember: charming, determined, and used to getting what he wants. And what he wants now is me.The chemistry between us is undeniable. The guy I always saw as a player is now the one who makes my heart beat fa...

BirdieHer funeral unraveled decades of secrets hidden from me—horrible secrets. This rabbit hole I've fallen down has revealed my past is much more sinister than I could have imagined. Everything I thought I knew has been a lie, and now there's only one place for me to turn: back to the people who have been searching for me all these years.One of those people is my newfound brother's best friend: Lonan Burke, star defenseman for the Minnesota Lakes. His dir...

**Set during World War II, a twelve-year-old orphan who accidentally unleashes a shadow monster onto the streets of London must team up with unlikely allies to hunt it down.“The twists and surprises just keep on coming. My kind of book!"—R.L. Stine, author of Goosebumps and Fear Street**A 2025 Booklist Editors’ ChoiceSurviving on the streets of World War II London alone certainly hasn’t been easy, but Nimble Nottingham has...

Many hoped or feared that Antonin Scalia’s appointment to the Supreme Court in 1986 would guarantee a conservative counter-revolution that would reverse the liberal jurisprudence of the Supreme Court under Chief Justice Earl Warren and which was continued to some extent under the Burger Court though the influence of Justice William Brennan. In addition, President Reagan described Scalia’s nomination as part of a project to remake the role of the Court, promote an interpretive approach of o...

**Set during World War II, a twelve-year-old orphan who accidentally unleashes a shadow monster onto the streets of London must team up with unlikely allies to hunt it down.“The twists and surprises just keep on coming. My kind of book!"—R.L. Stine, author of Goosebumps and Fear Street**Surviving on the streets of World War II London alone certainly hasn’t been easy, but Nimble Nottingham has perfected the art of going it alone—and that’s just how he likes...

BellamyI watched my parents' marriage crumble when my father chose football over family. His love for the game destroyed us. It's why I loathe it. It's also why I don't trust easily. So when I meet a handsome stranger at a hotel bar, we trade nothing but first names. I'm miles from home and I'll never see him again.Until I do. At a family event with my dad, he's there—my mystery man from weeks ago. Only now, I know who he is: a football player on my father'...

His punishment doesn't fit the crime.Seth is a petty thief, and a hungry one at that. He's becoming desperate and tries his hand at stealing something more substantial. But when he's caught playing around in a dressmaker's shop, the money becomes the least of his concerns.He wasn't working alone, but he'll never say it. There's honor among thieves and all. But maybe there's something else, too, especially when he finds himself thinking of his best friend in...

When it's time to present in class, he almost presents it all.Darren's cornerstone project is due tomorrow at the Hillbrand School of Sorcery in Eldenvale. He's worked all semester with his project mate, but Darren can't quite ignore the fact that he wants more from him. When they agree to review their project before their presentation, Darren gets an opportunity and finds himself unable to keep a cool head.When the time comes to present, his day gets off t...