Winner, Next Generation Indie Book Awards - Women's Nonfiction
Best Book of 2020, National Law Journal

The inspiring and previously untold history of the women considered—but not selected—for the US Supreme Court
In 1981, Sandra Day O’Connor became the first female justice on the United States Supreme Court after centuries of male appointments, a watershed moment in the long struggle for gender equality. Yet few know about the remarkable women considered in the decades before her triumph.
Shortlisted tells the overlooked stories of nine extraordinary women—a cohort large enough to seat the entire Supreme Court—who appeared on presidential lists dating back to the 1930s. Florence Allen, the first female judge on the highest court in Ohio, was named repeatedly in those early years. Eight more followed, including Amalya Kearse, a federal appellate judge who was the first African American woman viewed as a potential Supreme Court nominee. Award-winning scholars Renee Knake Jefferson and Hannah Brenner Johnson cleverly weave together long-forgotten materials from presidential libraries and private archives to reveal the professional and personal lives of these accomplished women.
In addition to filling a notable historical gap, the book exposes the tragedy of the shortlist. Listing and bypassing qualified female candidates creates a false appearance of diversity that preserves the status quo, a fate all too familiar for women, especially minorities. Shortlisted offers a roadmap to combat enduring bias and discrimination. It is a must-read for those seeking positions of power as well as for the powerful who select them in the legal profession and beyond.

"Written with lawyerly precision and clarity of thought, Shortlisted offers a comprehensive yet succinct look at the history of women in the Supreme Court with implications for women and minorities everywhere. … Straddling many disciplines, this book is well-researched, well-organized and well-argued. I rule in its favor." - The Observer

"[Shortlisted] tells the political and personal sagas of women publicly considered for appointment to the Supreme Court but never actually nominated by a president... With fresh research, the authors effectively humanize the women who never received the nominations they deserved." - Kirkus Reviews

"Accessible and engagingly written, Shortlisted makes a significant contribution to understanding how justices are nominated and the hurdles women face when they strive to reach the highest levels of the legal profession ... The book presents a polished narrative. It is concise and well researched." - Law.com

"Piecing together their personal papers and archives, as well as relevant news coverage, Johnson and Jefferson introduce readers to the ambitious women who built influential legal careers and advanced a female presence in the federal courts, especially the Supreme Court...The authors compellingly argue that representation of diverse women in leadership positions is in everybody’s best interest. An excellent contribution...and essential for anyone who values diversity." - Library Journal

"[F]ascinating and painstakingly researched...Shortlisted is a wake-up call about the persistence of gender inequality. This book represents an important step beyond shortlisting and tokenism toward true selection." - Texas Bar Journal

"Shortlisted is a fascinating read for observers of the Supreme Court, and anyone concerned about diversity and inclusion in the judiciary, our profession, and society. The stories of the remarkable, but mostly unknown, women shortlisted for our highest court fill an important historical gap." - NAELA Journal Online

"This eloquently written and captivating story of the not insignificant number of women once considered to fill vacancies dating back to the 1930s on the U.S. Supreme Court aims to achieve not only the filling of the major gap in history of those women who ‘could have been’, but also offers strategies for changing the future course of “her-story” by acknowledging these women’s contributions in the struggle for gender equality ... While many scholarly works leave us yearning for more, Shortlisted follows through on its promise to provide practical advice for mechanisms of change and hope for the future." - Law and Politics Book Review

"Legal scholarship that creates new avenues of inquiry is inherently appealing, but when it also reveals obscured narratives of power in American society, you have the makings of a truly important contribution. Shortlisted is all that and an engaging read besides." - Legal Profession Jotwell

"T]imely and provocative...[A] fascinating examination of the ‘herstories’ of the ‘shortlisted sisters’." - Law and Society

"A well written, logically organized, and thoroughly researched exploration ... a significant contribution to the sociolegal literature on the judicial selection process." - Law and Society Review