African-American Constituents and Supreme Court Nominees: An Examination of the Senate Confirmation of Thurgood Marshall

Abstract

In this study we extend previous research on the impact of constituency preferences on the roll-call behavior of senators during Supreme Court con firmations by examining the 1967 vote on Thurgood Marshall. In contrast to the later case of Clarence Thomas, we find that constituent racial characteristics (as measured by African-American percentage of state popula tion) had a significant negative impact in the Marshall case. We conclude with a discussion of the theoretical implications of these findings, and what they illuminate about the changing nature of the Southern Democratic coalition.