Litigation as Lobbying

Reproductive Hazards and Interest Aggregation

Julianna S. Gonen

“This study of interest group litigation, specifically the participation of groups in UAW v. Johnson Controls, extends our knowledge of how groups participate in the political process by exploring the degree of cohesion among the groups on each side. The author makes impressive use of personal interviews and written primary and secondary sources. Students of public policy, the judiciary, interest groups, the labor movement, and women and politics will find it a valuable resource.” —Judith Baer, Texas A&M University

“Using the landmark Supreme Court decision UAW v. Johnson Controls as a case study of interest group litigation, Julianna S. Gonen discusses the intersection of fetal protection policies, workers’ rights, feminism, and judicial policymaking. She argues that litigation allows groups to achieve a number of policy goals, with policies emerging from the litigation process, partially as a result of group interaction. This book does a very good job of integrating the literature of political science and women’s studies literature.” —Susan Gluck Mezey, Loyola University

This book is a case study that shows how interest groups use the litigation process to further their policy agendas. The case detailed here revolves around issues of reproductive health. It is a good illustration of the commonly held view among judicial scholars that the judicial process is essentially the same as the political process, that in both cases there is room for influence from a variety of sources.

Julianna S. Gonen is an associate with the law firm Epstein, Becker & Green, Washington, D.C.