Since her appointment as the first woman to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor has had a major, but largely unrecognized, influence on the collective jurisprudence of the Burger and Rehnquist Courts. In this comprehensive and systematic analysis of O'Connor's judicial contributions, Nancy Maveety describes how O'Connor has used accommodationist decision-making strategies to make substantive contributions to the development of both constitutional law and the Court's norms of collegiality. Skeptical of interpretations that seek to impose feminist conventions on O'Connor's judicial behavior, this account combines biographical data with an analytical discussion of O'Connor's crucial decisions. This is important reading for anyone interested in the Supreme Court and contemporary jurisprudence.

"This book has theory and data valuable to scholars interested in judicial decision making at any level." - Journal of Law & Politics

"The definitive study on O'Connor's jurisprudence." - Perspectives on Political Science

"...useful and well-conceived account..." - H-Net: Humanities and Social Science Reviews Online

"Unquestionably, there is much here which is helpful and illuminating . . . I would certainly have this book in my library." - Political Studies Review, Sept. '99; Vol. 47 No. 4