Gendered Policy Leadership in the Judicial Branch

In most states, the chief justice is tasked with leading the judiciary and working within the political environment to address its shortcomings. This requires public advocacy that emphasizes the needs of the justice system and appropriate reforms. Given the increase of gender diversity among judicial leaders in the American states in recent decades, the extent to which male and female chief justices approach these duties differently is an important but unknown consideration. In this research, we consider the extent that female chief justices exhibit gendered policy leadership in their public rhetoric. We find that female chiefs devote more attention to women’s issues in their advocacy efforts, suggesting that the gender diversity among modern chief justices has a meaningful impact on agendas for reform of the justice system.