"With the arrival of this book, the idea that elected politicians and unelected judges operate in separate spheres finally has to be put aside. A blockbuster work, this magnificent rendition of how Congress has built federal judicial power invites us to recognize the national judiciary as a central actor in American politics, placed there by continuous legislative design."--Rick Valelly, Swarthmore College

"Building the Judiciary reveals a fascinating paradox of American political development: the courts are periodically pulled into partisan rancor and interbranch warfare, and yet these episodes have resulted in the building of an autonomous and powerful judiciary. This pathbreaking book is a major contribution to understanding how judges have participated in institutional reforms that have forged a unique American state and is a must read for understanding the politics of judicial statecraft."--Sidney Milkis, University of Virginia

"Accurate, accessible, and sound, this book is a much-needed comprehensive developmental history of the entire federal court system. It is a valuable reference work for lawyers, historians, political scientists, and anyone else interested in this subject."--Mark Graber, University of Maryland School of Law

"This is an excellent book, richly textured and nicely argued. Crowe is to be commended for so successfully analyzing the development of the judiciary, given the broad sweep of history covered. His book is a significant contribution to the study of law and courts and will cement the author's reputation as one of the field's brightest young stars."--Kevin McMahon, Trinity College

Justin Crowe is assistant professor of political science at Williams College.