Collegiate Affiliation

I am Horace T. Morse Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Law. Over my 24 year career I have published several books, including Oral Arguments and Coalition Formation on the U.S. Supreme Court, A Good Quarrel, Oral Arguments and Decision Making on the U.S. Supreme Court, and The Logic of American Politics (10th edition). My research also appears in a variety of academic journals including the American Political Science Review, the Journal of Politics, and the Law and Society Review. Along with legal and political commentary my work has been covered by The Economist, The Guardian, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, C-SPAN, Slate, USA Today, ABC, and CNN.

In 2018 I was named a semi-finalist for the prestigious Robert F. Cherry Award for Great Teaching and was awarded the American Political Science Association's Distinguished Teaching Award.

Educational Background & Specialties
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Educational Background

  • Ph.D.: Political Science, Washington University in St. Louis, 1998
  • MA: Political Science, Washington University in St. Louis, 1995
  • BA: Political Science, Russian Studies, Gustavus Adolphus College, 1993

Specialties

  • Supreme Court Decision Making
  • Judicial Politics
  • Supreme Court Oral Arguments
  • Executive/Judiciary Relations
  • American politics
  • Supreme Court Nominations and Confirmations
  • Precedent and the U.S. Supreme Court