James Kallerman

Curriculum Vitae
Teaching Portfolio


Dissertation Committee
Dr. Scott Ainsworth (Major); Dr. Susan Haire; Dr. Richard Vining; Dr. Ryan Bakker

Dissertation
Politics and Diversity on the United States District Courts
The dissertation examines the political forces driving racial diversity on the federal district courts. Our federal bench is unrepresentative because of short-term thinking and misguided presumptions on the parts of politicians, interest groups, and voters. Specifically, “gaps” separate affirmative action as institutional mandates or campaign rhetoric from affirmative action in practice. The project identifies the gaps and their causes, and then focuses on how the gaps affect the chances that a given minority can negotiate the long path to the federal bench.