Research Reveals: The Process of Becoming a Judge is Different for Women

Margaret Williams surveyed Texas judges and lawyers and found significant differences between men and women, both for those in the judiciary and those who could be members of the judiciary.  Moreover, informal requirements for attaining a seat on the bench could be a factor keeping qualified candidates from seeking a judgeship (M. S. Williams, In a Different Path: The Process of Becoming a Judge for Women and Men 2006, 104). Williams looks beyond the selection system to gain an understanding of how the process of becoming a judge is different within the groups running under that selection system, which provides a more individual-level explanation. Moreover, Williams argues that studies on selection “conclude that while the number of women in the eligible pool of judges and the size of court affect women’s representation, selection systems do not” Id. at 105-106 citing Elliot Slotnick Judicial Selection Systems and Nomination Outcomes: Does the Process Make a Difference? (1984).