Her research focuses on the federal judicial selection process, as well as the role of courts as institutions and the differing influences on court operations and decision-making. She has published three books to date, including Battle Over the Bench: Senators, Interest Groups and the Politics of Courts of Appeals Confirmations (UVA Press, 2010), as well as articles in journals such as Journal of Politics, Political Research Quarterly, and Justice System Journal. Her most recent book is The Puzzle of Unanimity: Consensus on the U.S. Supreme Court, coauthored with Pamela Corley and Artemus Ward(Stanford Press, 2013). Dr. Steigerwalt, along with Drs. Corley and Ward, was recently awarded the 2013 Hughes-Gossett Award for the best article published that year in the Journal of Supreme Court History.