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Law and Courts Section Award Recipients

More information on the Law and Courts section

Best Conference Paper Award
Best Graduate Student Paper Award
Best Journal Article Award 
C. Herman Pritchett Award
Lifetime Achievement Award
Lasting Contribution Award
McGraw Hill Award
Service Award
Teaching and Mentoring Award



Law and Courts Best Conference Paper Award
The Law and Courts Best Conference Paper Award (formerly the American Judicature Society Award) is given annually for the best paper on law and courts presented at the previous year’s annual meetings of the American, International, or regional political science associations. Single- and co-authored papers, written by political scientists, are eligible. Papers may be nominated by any member of the Section.

2023 Elise Blasingame, University of Georgia
“How the Trump Administration’s Quota Policy Transformed Immigration Judging." Presented at the 2022 Conference of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, IL, April 7-10.
2023 Christina Boyd, University of Georgia
“How the Trump Administration’s Quota Policy Transformed Immigration Judging." Presented at the 2022 Conference of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, IL, April 7-10.
2023 Roberto Carlos, University of Texas at Austin
“How the Trump Administration’s Quota Policy Transformed Immigration Judging." Presented at the 2022 Conference of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, IL, April 7-10.
2023 Joseph Ornstein, University of Georgia
“How the Trump Administration’s Quota Policy Transformed Immigration Judging." Presented at the 2022 Conference of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, IL, April 7-10.
2022 Christine Bailey, University of Massachusetts
"The Effect of Judicial Decisions on Issue Salience and Legal Consciousness n the LGBTQ+ Community"
2022 Paul M. Collins, Jr., University of Massachusetts
"The Effect of Judicial Decisions on Issue Salience and Legal Consciousness n the LGBTQ+ Community"
2022 Jesse H. Rhods, University of Massachusetts
"The Effect of Judicial Decisions on Issue Salience and Legal Consciousness n the LGBTQ+ Community"
2022 Douglas Rice, University of Massachusetts
"The Effect of Judicial Decisions on Issue Salience and Legal Consciousness n the LGBTQ+ Community"
2021

Amanda Driscoll, Florida State University
“The Minimal Costs of Court Curbing: Experimental Evidence from the United States.”

2021 Michael Nelson, Pennsylvania State University 
“The Minimal Costs of Court Curbing: Experimental Evidence from the United States.”
2020 Ben Johnson, Pennsylvania State University Law School
“The Supreme Court’s (Surprising?) Indifference to Public Opinion.”
2020 Logan Strother, Purdue University
“The Supreme Court’s (Surprising?) Indifference to Public Opinion.”
2019 Allison P. Harris, Pennsylvania State University
"Can Racial Diversity Among Judges Affect Sentencing Outcomes?” Unpublished manuscript, presented at the State Politics and Policy Conference.
2018 Morgan L.W. Hazelton, St. Louis University
"The Elevator Effect: How Collegiality Fosters Public Consensus."
2018 Racheal K. Hinkle, State University of New York at Buffalo
"The Elevator Effect: How Collegiality Fosters Public Consensus."
2018   Michael Nelson, Penn State University
"The Elevator Effect: How Collegiality Fosters Public Consensus."
2018 Honorable Mention
Nancy Arrington, Emory University
"Appointment Rules and Gender Divresity on High Courts."
2018 Honorable Mention
Leeann Bass, Emory University
"Appointment Rules and Gender Divresity on High Courts."
2018 Honorable Mention
Adam Glynn, Emory University
"Appointment Rules and Gender Divresity on High Courts."
2018 Honorable Mention
Jeffrey K. Staton, Emory University
"Appointment Rules and Gender Divresity on High Courts."
2018 Honorable Mention
Brian Delgado, Emory University
"Appointment Rules and Gender Divresity on High Courts."
2018 Honorable Mention
Staffan Lindberg, University of Guttenberg
"Appointment Rules and Gender Divresity on High Courts."
2017  Jonathan P. Kastellec, Princeton University
"Judicial Federalism and Representation."
2017  Honorable Mention
Deborah Beim, Yale University
"Sequential Adjudication."
2017  Honorable Mention
Tom S. Clark, Emory University
"Sequential Adjudication."
2017  Honorable Mention
John W. Patty, University of Chicago
"Sequential Adjudication."
2016  Jonathan P. Kastellec, Princeton University
"Empirically Evaluating the Counter-Majoritarian Difficulty: Public Opinion, State Policy, and Judicial Review Before Roe v. Wade
2015  Matthew Incantalupo, Princeton University
“Opinion Backlash and Public Attitudes: Are Political Advances in Gay Rights Counterproductive?” Presented at the annual meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association
2015  Thomas Hayes, University of Connecticut
“Opinion Backlash and Public Attitudes: Are Political Advances in Gay Rights Counterproductive?” Presented at the annual meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association 
2015  Benjamin Bishin, University of California, Riverside
“Opinion Backlash and Public Attitudes: Are Political Advances in Gay Rights Counterproductive?” Presented at the annual meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association
2015 Rebecca Hamlin, Grinnell College
"The Human Rights Act and the New Immigration Politics in the United Kingdom." Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association 
2014 Katerina Linos, University of California, Berkeley
"The Supreme Court, the Media and Public Opinion: Comparing Experimental and Observational Methods." Paper Presented at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association
2014 Kimberly Twist, University of California, Berkeley
"The Supreme Court, the Media and Public Opinion: Comparing Experimental and Observational Methods." Paper Presented at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association
2013 Deborah Beim, Princeton University
"Whistleblowing and Compliance in the Federal Judiciary" paper presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association
2013 Alexander Hirsch, Princeton University
"Whistleblowing and Compliance in the Federal Judiciary" paper presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association
2013 Jonathan Kastellec, Princeton University
"Whistleblowing and Compliance in the Federal Judiciary" paper presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association
2012 Quinn Mulroy, Syracuse University
Enforcing Rights Protections: The Regulatory Power of Private Litigation and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
2011 Stefanie Lindquist, University of Texas, Austin
State Courts, State Legislatures, and United States Supreme Court Review
2011 Pamela Corley, Vanderbilt University
State Courts, State Legislatures, and United States Supreme Court Review
2011 Honorable Mention
Cliff Carrubba, Emory University
"Rule Creation in a Political Hierarchy"
2011 Honorable Mention
Tom Clark, Emory University
"Rule Creation in a Political Hierarchy"
2010 Sarah Staszak, Princeton University
"Institutions, Rulemaking and the Politics of Judicial Retrenchment"
2010 Honorable Mention
Michael McCann, University of Washington, Seattle
"Criminalizing Big Tobacco: Legal Mobilization, Mass Media, and the Politics of Responsibility for Health Risks in the United States"
2010 Honorable Mention
William Haltom, University of Puget Sound
"Criminalizing Big Tobacco: Legal Mobilization, Mass Media, and the Politics of Responsibility for Health Risks in the United States"
2010 Honorable Mention
Shauna Fisher, University of Washington, Seattle
"Criminalizing Big Tobacco: Legal Mobilization, Mass Media, and the Politics of Responsibility for Health Risks in the United States"
2009 Tom Clark, Emory University
"Locating Supreme Court Opinions in Doctrine Space"
2009 Benjamin Lauderdale, Princeton University
"Locating Supreme Court Opinions in Doctrine Space"
2008 Jeffrey Lax, Columbia University
"Tactical Opinion Assignment and Voting in the Supreme Court"
2008 Kelly Rader, Columbia University
"Tactical Opinion Assignment and Voting in the Supreme Court"
2008 Honorable Mention
Tom Clark, Emory University
"The Separation of Powers, Court-Curbing, and Judicial Legitimacy"
2007 J. Pickerill, Washington State University
The Supreme Court and the Political Regime: The New Right Regime and Religious Freedom
2007 Cornell Clayton, Washington State University
The Supreme Court and the Political Regime: The New Right Regime and Religious Freedom
2006 Kevin McGuire, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
"Mapping the Policies of the U.S. Supreme Court: Data, Opinions, and Constitutional Law"
2006 Georg Vanberg, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
"Mapping the Policies of the U.S. Supreme Court: Data, Opinions, and Constitutional Law"
2005 David Glick, Princeton University
"Strategic Retreat and the 1935 Gold Clause Cases: Upholding the New Deal to Challenge the New Deal"
2005 Gregory Caldeira, Ohio State University
"A Spatial Model of Supreme Court Voting"
2005 Kevin McGuire, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
"A Spatial Model of Supreme Court Voting"
2005 Charles Smith Jr., University of Mississippi
"A Spatial Model of Supreme Court Voting"
2004 J. Pickerill, Washington State University
Co-Authored with Cornell Clayton, "The Rehnquist Court and the Political Dynamics of Federalism," presented at the 2003 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association
2004 Cornell Clayton, Washington State University
Co-Authored with J. Mitchell Pickerill, "The Rehnquist Court and the Political Dynamics of Federalism," presented at the 2003 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association
2003 Scott Comparato, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Co-Authored with Scott D. McClurg, Souther Illinois University"State Supreme Court Compliance with the Supreme Court's Search and Seizure Decisions"
2003 Scott McClurg, Southern Illinois University
Co-Authored with Scott A. Comparato, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale "State Supreme Court Compliance with the Supreme Court's Search and Seizure Decisions"
2002 Timothy Johnson, University of Minnesota
Co-Authored with James F. Spriggs, II, University of California at Davis and Paul J. Wahlbeck, George Washington University "Passing and Sophisticated Voting on the U.S. Supreme Court," (APSA, 2001)
2002 James Spriggs II, University of California at Davis
Co-Authored with Timothy R. Johnson, University of Minnesota and Paul J. Wahlbeck, George Washington University "Passing and Sophisticated Voting on the U.S. Supreme Court," (APSA, 2001)
2002 Paul Wahlbeck, George Washington University
Co-Authored with James F. Spriggs, II, University of California at Davis and Timothy R. Johnson, University of Minnesota "Passing and Sophisticated Voting on the U.S. Supreme Court," (APSA, 2001)
2001 Howard Gillman, University of Southern California
"The Political Construction of Federal Power in Late Nineteenth-Century America."
2000 Laura Langer, University of Arizona
"Does the Chief Justice on State Courts of Last Resort Shape Judicial Review? The Case of Workers' Compensation"
1999 Melinda Gann Hall, Michigan State University
"Competition in Judicial Elections, 1980-1985"
1998 Gregory Caldeira, Ohio State University
Co-Authored with Jack Wright, Ohio State University and Christopher Zorn, Emory University "Sophisticated Judicial Behavior: Agenda Setting Via the Discuss List"
1998 Jack Wright, Ohio State University
Co-Authored with Gregory A. Caldeira, Ohio State University and Christopher Zorn, Emory University "Sophisticated Judicial Behavior: Agenda Setting Via the Discuss List"
1998 Christopher Zorn, Emory University
Co-Authored with Gregory A. Caldeira, Ohio State University and Jack Wright, Ohio State University "Sophisticated Judicial Behavior: Agenda Setting Via the Discuss List"
1997 Gregory Caldeira, Ohio State University
Co-Authored with Jack Wright, Ohio State University and Christopher Zorn, Emory University "Strategic Voting and Gate Keeping in the Supreme Court"
1997 Christopher Zorn, Emory University
Co-Authored with Gregory A. Caldeira, Ohio State University and Jack Wright, Ohio State University "Strategic Voting and Gate Keeping in the Supreme Court"
1997 Jack Wright, George Washington University
Co-Authored with Gregory A. Caldeira, Ohio State University and Christopher Zorn, Emory University "Strategic Voting and Gate Keeping in the Supreme Court"
1996 Jeffrey Segal, Stony Brook University
"Marxist (and Neo-Marxist) Models of Supreme Court Decision Making: Separation of Powers Games in the Positive Theory of Law and Courts"
1994 Christine Harrington, New York University
"Rethinking Litigation: The Role of Courts in Producing Litigation"
1994 Daniel Ward, Rice University
"Rethinking Litigation: The Role of Courts in Producing Litigation"
1994 Honorable Mention
Kevin McGuire, University of Minnesota
"The Supreme Court Bar: Legal Elites in the Washington Community" (Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1993)
1993 Mark Graber, University of Maryland
"The Non-Majoritarian Difficulty: Legislative Deference to the Judiciary"
1993 Honorable Mention
Elliot Slotnick, Ohio State University
"Television News and the Supreme Court"
1993 Honorable Mention
Jennifer Segal Diascro, Ohio State University
"Television News and the Supreme Court"

Law and Courts Best Graduate Student Paper Award

Formerly the CQ Press Award, the Best Graduate Student Paper Award is given annually for the best paper in the field of law and courts written by a graduate student. To be eligible, the nominated paper must have been written by a full-time graduate student. Both single- and co-authored papers are eligible. In the case of co-authored papers, each author must have been a full-time graduate student at the time the paper was written. Submitted papers may have been written for any purpose (including papers written for seminar, scholarly meetings, and for potential publication in academic journals). This is NOT, however, a dissertation or thesis prize.

2023 Yu-Hsien Sung, University of South Carolina
“How US Voters Elect Prosecutors: Evidence from a Conjoint Experiment.” Political Research Quarterly.
2022 Rachel Schoner, University of California, San Diego
"Confronting a Repressive Regime: Individual Petitions in the Human Rights Committee."
2021

Nathan Carrington, Syracuse University
“Home-State Interest, Nationalism, and the Legitimacy of the Criminal Court.”

2021 Claire Sigsworth, Syracuse University
“Home-State Interest, Nationalism, and the Legitimacy of the Criminal Court.”
2020 Sivaram Cheruvu, Emory University
“How Does Education Affect Public Support for Courts?”
2019 Anna Gunderson, Emory University
“Why Do States Privatize their Prisons?” Unpublished manuscript.
2019 Elizabeth Lane , Michigan State University
“Legal Quality and the United States Supreme Court.” Unpublished manuscript.
2018 Nancy B. Arrington, Emory University
"Gender and Judicial Replacement: The Case of U.S. State Supreme Courts."
2017 David Gelman, University of Rochester
"The Beliefs and Behavior of Appellate Court Judges."
2017  Doug Johnson, University of Rochester
"The Beliefs and Behavior of Appellate Court Judges." 
2017  Natalie Rogol, Georgia State University
"Going Public: Presidential Impact on Supreme Court Decision-Making." 
2017  Matthew Montgomery, Georgia State University
"Going Public: Presidential Impact on Supreme Court Decision-Making."  
2017  Justin Kingsland, Georgia State University
"Going Public: Presidential Impact on Supreme Court Decision-Making."  
2016  Thomas Gray, University of Virginia
"Executive Influence on State Supreme Court Justices: Strategic Deference in Reappointment." 
2015  Monica E. Lineberger, University of South Carolina
"United Kingdom, United Courts? The Hierarchical Impact of Precedent in the British Judiciary.” presented at the annual meeting of the Southern Political Science Association 2014. 
2015  Ali S. Masood, University of South Carolina
"United Kingdom, United Courts? The Hierarchical Impact of Precedent in the British Judiciary.” presented at the annual meeting of the Southern Political Science Association 2014. 
2014 Alicia Uribe, Washington University in St. Louis
"Binders Full of Judges: A Model for the Interdependency of Appointments to the U.S. Federal Judiciary."
2013 Doug Rice, Pennsylvania State University
"Measuring the Issue Content of Supreme Court Opinions through Probabilistic Topic Models"
2013 Honorable Mention
Deborah Beim, Princeton University
"Learning in the Judicial Hierarchy"
2013 Honorable Mention
Blake Emerson, Yale University
"The Empowerment of CriticismThe Freedmen’s Bureau, Howard University, and the Origins and Demise of Segregated Schooling in the South"
2013 Honorable Mention
Patrick Luff, University of Oxford
"Captured Legislators and Public-Interested Courts"
2012 Maya Sen, University of Rochester
Is Justice Really Blind: Race and Appellate Review in U.S. Courts
2012 Honorable Mention
Richard Price, Syracuse University
Arguing Gunwall: Can a State Supreme Court Force Its Lawyers to Argue State Constitutional Claims?
2011 Doug Rice, Pennsylvania State University
The Impact of Supreme Court Activity on the Judicial Agenda: Calling to Action or Settling the Law
2010 Shauhin Talesh, University of California, Berkeley
"Bargaining in the Shadow of ‘Shadow Law"
2009 Jonathan Kastellec, Princeton University
"Hierarchical and Collegial Politics on the U.S. Courts of Appeals"
2008 Tom Clark, Princeton University
"The Separation of Powers, Court-Curbing and Judiical Legitimacy"
2007 Shauhin Talesh, University of California, Berkeley
How Manufacturers Force Consumers to 'Holster' Consumer Warranty Protection Law 'Weapons'
2007 Douglas Kriner
Hail to the Chief? Two Mechanisms of Congressional Influence over Presidential War-Making
2006 Honorable Mention
Matthew Ingram, University of New Mexico
"Judicial Efficiency in 17 Mexico States, 1993-2000"
2004 Chad Westerland, SUNY Stony Brook
"Who Owns the Majority Opinion? Policy Making on the U. S. Supreme Court"
2004 Scott Hendrickson
"To DIG or Not to DIG: Using DIGs to Examine Supreme Court Decision Making and Agenda Setting"
2003 Lisa Solowiej, Binghamton Univ-SUNY
"Participation, Competition, and Conflict: Interest Groups in the US Supreme Court"
2003 Paul Collins Jr., Binghamton University
"Participation, Competition, and Conflict: Interest Groups in the US Supreme Court"
2002 Paul Collins Jr., Binghamton University
"Organized Interests in the Supreme Court: Gauging the Effectiveness of Amicus Curiae Participation"
2001 Alec Ewald, University of Massachusetts at Amherst
"Getting Ready for Garza? Judge Emilio Garza, Civil Liberties, and the Politics of Judicial Selection."
2000 Michael Ebeid, Yale University
"Do Presidents Shape Supreme Court Ideology? An Analysis of Judicial Agreement Tendencies"
1999 Joshua Clinton, Stanford University
"An Independent Judiciary? Determining the Influence of Congressional and Presidential Preferences on the Supreme Court's Interpretation of Federal Statutes: 1953-1995"
1999 Gretchen Helmke, University of Chicago
"Toward a Formal Theory of an Informal Institution: Insecure Tenure and Judicial Independence in Argentina, 1976-1995"
1998 Laura Langer, Florida State University
"State Supreme Courts and Countermajoritarian Behavior"
1997 Nancy Scherer, University of Chicago
"Reexamining the Politics of Crime in the Federal Courts: Are Bill Clinton’s Judicial Appointees ‘New’ Democrats or ‘Old’ Democrats?"
1996 Melissa Marschall, SUNY Stony Brook
"A NeoMarksist Model of Supreme Court/Congress/President Interaction: The Civil Rights Cases, 1953-1992"
1996 Andreas Broscheid, SUNY Stony Brook
"A NeoMarksist Model of Supreme Court/Congress/President Interaction: The Civil Rights Cases, 1953-1992"
1994 Nancy Crowe, University of Chicago
"Gender and Asset Settlements in Divorce Proceedings"
1993 Julie Novkov, University of Michigan
"Toward a Racist Theory of the State: Post-Civil War Anti-Mescegination Prosecutions"
1990 Andrew Koppelman, Yale University
"Forced Labor: A Thirteenth Amendment Defense of Abortion"

 


Law and Courts Best Journal Article Award

This award recognizes the best journal article in the field of law and courts written by a political scientist and published during the previous calendar year. Articles published in all refereed journals and in law reviews are eligible, but book reviews, review essays, and chapters published in edited volumes are not eligible. Journal editors and members of the section may nominate articles. (This award was previously known as McGraw Hill Award and as the Houghton-Mifflin Award for the Best Journal Article in the Field of Law and Courts).

2023 Ryan E. Carlin, Georgia State University
“Public Reactions to Noncompliance with Judicial Orders.” American Political Science Review, Feb. 2022, 116(1):265-282.
2023 Marianna Castrellón, Stanford University
“Public Reactions to Noncompliance with Judicial Orders.” American Political Science Review, Feb. 2022, 116(1):265-282.
2023 Varun Gauri, Princeton University
“Public Reactions to Noncompliance with Judicial Orders.” American Political Science Review, Feb. 2022, 116(1):265-282.
2023 Isabel C. Jaramillo Sierra, Universidad de los Andes, Colombia
“Public Reactions to Noncompliance with Judicial Orders.” American Political Science Review, Feb. 2022, 116(1):265-282.
2023 Jeffrey K. Staton, Emory University
“Public Reactions to Noncompliance with Judicial Orders.” American Political Science Review, Feb. 2022, 116(1):265-282.
2022 Alex Badas, University of Houston
"The Supreme Court as an electoral issue: evidence from three studies," Political Science Research and Methods, 2021.
2022 Elizabeth Sims, University of Houston
"The Supreme Court as an electoral issue: evidence from three studies," Political Science Research and Methods, 2021.
2022 Anne Boustead, University of Arizona
"Privacy protections and law enforcement use of prescription drug monitoring databases," Law & Policy, 2021.
2021 Claire Sigsworth, Syracuse University
“Home-State Interest, Nationalism, and the Legitimacy of the Criminal Court.”
2021

Whitney Taylor, San Francisco State University
“On the Social Construction of Legal Grievances:  Evidence from Colombia and South Africa.”

2020 Deborah Beim, University of Michigan
“Legal Uniformity in American Courts.” 2019 Journal of Empirical Legal Studies.
2020 Kelly Rader, Yale University
“Legal Uniformity in American Courts.” 2019 Journal of Empirical Legal Studies.
2019 John Kastellec, Princeton University
“Judicial Federalism and Representation.” Journal of Law & Courts 6(1): 51-92.
2017  Ryan Black, Michigan State University
"Courting the President: How Circuit Court Judges Alter Their Behavior for Promotion to the Supreme Court." The American Journal of Political Science
2017  Ryan Owens, University of Wisconsin
"Courting the President: How Circuit Court Judges Alter Their Behavior for Promotion to the Supreme Court." The American Journal of Political Science 
2017  Honorable Mention
Jay Krehbiel, Washington University in St. Louis
"The Politics of Judicial Procedures: The Role of Public Oral Hearings in the German Constitutional Court." The American Journal of Political Science
2017  Honorable Mention
Charles Cameron, Princeton University
"Are Supreme Court Nominations a Move-the-Median Game?" The American Political Science Review
2017  Honorable Mention
Jonathan Kastellec, Princeton University
"Are Supreme Court Nominations a Move-the-Median Game?" The American Political Science Review
2017  Honorable Mention
Deborah Beim, Yale University
"Signaling and Counter-Signaling in the Judicial Hierarchy" An Empirical Analysis of En Banc Review." The American Journal of Political Science
2017  Honorable Mention
Alexander Hirsch, California Institute of Technology
"Signaling and Counter-Signaling in the Judicial Hierarchy" An Empirical Analysis of En Banc Review." The American Journal of Political Science
2017  Honorable Mention
Jonathan Kastellec, Princeton University
"Signaling and Counter-Signaling in the Judicial Hierarchy" An Empirical Analysis of En Banc Review." The American Journal of Political Science
2016  Rachael Hinkle, University at Buffalo
"Legal Constraint in the U.S. Courts of Appeals." Journal of Politics 77(3): 721-735 
2015  Terence K. Teo, Brown University
"Law, Focal Points, and Fiscal Discipline in the United States and the European Union.”American Political Science Review 
2015  R. Daniel Keleman, Rutgers University
"Law, Focal Points, and Fiscal Discipline in the United States and the European Union.”American Political Science Review 
2015  David M. Glick, Boston University
"Chief Justice Roberts’s Health Care Decision Disrobed: The Microfoundations of the Supreme Court’s Legitimacy,” American Journal of Political Science 
2015  Dino P. Christenson, Boston University
"Chief Justice Roberts’s Health Care Decision Disrobed: The Microfoundations of the Supreme Court’s Legitimacy,” American Journal of Political Science
2014 Veronica Michel, John Jay College-CUNY
"Human Rights Prosecutions and the Participation Rights of Victims in Latin America." 47 Law and Society Review 873 (2013)
2014 Kathryn Sikkink, Harvard University
"Human Rights Prosecutions and the Participation Rights of Victims in Latin America." 47 Law and Society Review 873 (2013
2014 Tamir Moustafa, Simon Fraser University
"Islamic Law, Women's Rights, and Popular Legal Consciousness in Malaysia." 38 Law and Social Inquiry 168 (2013)
2013 Benjamin Lauderdale, London School of Economics
The Supreme Court’s Many Median Justices (American Political Science Review, volume 106, number 4 November 2012)
2013 Tom Clark, Emory University
The Supreme Court’s Many Median Justices (American Political Science Review, volume 106, number 4 November 2012)
2012 Pamela Corley, Southern Methodist University
Lower Court Influence on U.S. Supreme Court Opinion Content (January 2011 issue of The Journal of Politics)
2012 Paul Collins Jr., University of North Texas
Lower Court Influence on U.S. Supreme Court Opinion Content (January 2011 issue of The Journal of Politics)
2012 Bryan Calvin, Tarrant County College
Lower Court Influence on U.S. Supreme Court Opinion Content (January 2011 issue of The Journal of Politics)
2011 Tom Clark, Emory University
"Locating Supreme Court Opinions in Doctrine Space"
2011 Benjamin Lauderdale, Harvard University
"Locating Supreme Court Opinions in Doctrine Space"
2010 Steven Teles, Johns Hopkins University
"Transformative Bureaucracy: Reagan’s Lawyers and the Dynamics of Political Investment"
2009 Michael Bailey, Georgetown University
Does Legal Doctrine Matter? Unpacking Law and Policy Preferences on the US Supreme Court
2009 Forrest Maltzman, George Washington University
Does Legal Doctrine Matter? Unpacking Law and Policy Preferences on the US Supreme Court
2008 Thomas Keck, Syracuse University
"Party, Policy, or Duty: Why Does the Supreme Court Invalidate Federal Statutes?"
2007 Sara Benesh, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
Understanding Public Confidence in American Courts"
2006 Lee Epstein, Northwestern University School of Law
"The Supreme Court During Crisis"
2006 Daniel Ho, Harvard University
"The Supreme Court During Crisis"
2006 Jeffrey Segal, Stony Brook University
"The Supreme Court During Crisis"
2005 Kevin McGuire, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
"The Least Dangerous Branch Revisited: New Evidence on Supreme Court Responsiveness to Public Preferences." Journal of Politics 66(4):1018-1035.
2005 James Stimson, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
"The Least Dangerous Branch Revisited: New Evidence on Supreme Court Responsiveness to Public Preferences." Journal of Politics 66(4):1018-1035.
2004 Paul Frymer, University of California-San Diego
"Acting When Elected Officials Won't: Federal Courts and Civil Rights Enforcement in U.S. Labor Unions, 1935-85," (American Political Science Review, 2003)
2004 Honorable Mention
Tamir Moustafa, University of Wisconsin-Madison
"Law Versus the State: The Judicialization of Politics in Egypt," (Law and Social Inquiry, 2003)
2003 James Gibson, Washington University
"Truth, Justice, and Reconciliation: Judging the Fairness of Amnesty in South Africa" American Journal of Political Science (2002)
2002 Melinda Gann Hall, Michigan State University
State Supreme Courts in American Democracy: Probing the Myths of Judicial Reform
2001 Mark Graber, University of Maryland
"The Jacksonian Origins of Chase Court Activism"

C. Herman Pritchett Award

The C. Herman Pritchett award is given annually for the best book on law and courts written by a political scientist and published the previous year.

2023 Ke Li, City University of New York
Marriage Unbound: State Law, Power, and Inequality in Contemporary China. Stanford University Press (2022).
2023 Tommaso Pavone, University of Arizona
The Ghostwriters: Lawyers and the Politics Behind the Judicial Construction of Europe. Cambridge University Press (2022).
2023 Morgan L.W. Hazelton, Saint Louis University
Persuading the Supreme Court: The Significance of Briefs in Judicial Decision Making. Kansas University Press (2022).
2023 Rachael K. Hinkle, University of Buffalo
Persuading the Supreme Court: The Significance of Briefs in Judicial Decision Making. Kansas University Press (2022).
2022 Maria C. Escobar-Lemmon, Texas A&M University 
Reimagining the Judiciary: Women’s Representation on High Courts Worldwide, Oxford University Press, 2021.
2022 Valerie J. Hoekstra, Arizona State University   
Reimagining the Judiciary: Women’s Representation on High Courts Worldwide, Oxford University Press, 2021.
2022 Alice J, Khang, University of Nebraska--Lincoln
Reimagining the Judiciary: Women’s Representation on High Courts Worldwide, Oxford University Press, 2021.
2022 Miki Caul Kittilson, Arizona State University
Reimagining the Judiciary: Women’s Representation on High Courts Worldwide, Oxford University Press, 2021.
2022 James Gibson, Washington University
Judging Inequality: State Supreme Courts and the Inequality Crisis, Russell Sage Foundation, 2021.
2022 Michale Nelson, Pennsylvania State University
Judging Inequality: State Supreme Courts and the Inequality Crisis, Russell Sage Foundation, 2021.
2021

Jinee Lokaneeta, Drew University
The Truth Machines: Policing, Violence, and Scientific Interrogations in India. University of Michigan Press.

2021

Terri Peretti, Santa Clara University
Partisan Supremacy: How the GOP Enlisted Courts to Rig America’s Election Rules. University of Kansas Press.

2020 Ken Kersch, Boston College
Conservatives and the Constitution: Imagining the Constitutional Restoration in the Heyday of American Liberalism. 2019 Cambridge University Press
2019 Daniel M. Brinks , University of Texas at Austin
The DNA of Constitutional Justice in Latin America: Politics, Governance, and Judicial Design . Cambridge University Press, 2018.
2019 Abby Blass , University of Texas at Austin
The DNA of Constitutional Justice in Latin America: Politics, Governance, and Judicial Design . Cambridge University Press, 2018.
2019 Frank R. Baumgartner , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Suspect Citizens: What 20 Million Traffic Stops Tell Us About Policing and Race . Cambridge University Press, 2018.
2019 Derek Epp , University of Texas at Austin
Suspect Citizens: What 20 Million Traffic Stops Tell Us About Policing and Race . Cambridge University Press, 2018.
2019 Kelsey Shoub , University of South Carolina
Suspect Citizens: What 20 Million Traffic Stops Tell Us About Policing and Race . Cambridge University Press, 2018.
2018 Lawrence Baum, Ohio State University
Ideology in the Supreme Court. Princeton University Press, 2018.
2017  Ezequiel A. Gonzales-Octanos, University of Oxford
Shifting Legal Visions - Judicial Change and Human Rights Trials in Latin America. Cambridge University Press, 2016.
2017  Honorable Mention
Lauren Edelman, University of California, Berkeley
Working Law - Courts, Coporations, and Symbolic Civil Rights. University of Chicago Press, 2016.
2016   Amanda Hollis-Brusky, Pomona College
Ideas with Consequences: The Federalist Society and the Conservative Counterrevolution.Oxford University Press, 2015.
2015  Ran Hirschl, University of Toronto
Comparative Matters: The Renaissance of Comparative Constitutional Law. Oxford University Press, 2014 
2015  Melinda Gann Hall, Michigan State University
Attacking Judges: How Campaign Advertising Influences State Supreme Court Elections.Stanford University Press, 2014 
2014 Traci Burch, Northwestern University
Trading Democracy for Justice: Criminal Convictions and the Decline of Neighborhood Political Participation. University of Chicago Press
2014 Honorable Mention
Mark Massoud, University of California, Santa Cruz
Law's Fragile State: Colonial, Authoritarian, and Humanitarian Legacies in Sudan. Cambridge University Press
2013 Diana Kapiszewski, University of California, Irvine
High Courts and Economic Governance in Argentina and Brazil (Cambridge, 2012)
2012 Matthew Hall, Saint Louis University
The Nature of Supreme Court Power (Cambridge University Press, 2011)
2011 Sean Farhang, University of California, Berkeley
The Litigation State, (Princeton University Press)
2011 Honorable Mention
Michael Paris, CUNY-College of Staten Island
Framing Educational Opportunity: Law and the Politics of School Finance Reform (Stanford University Press)
2010 Eileen Braman, Indiana University
Law, Politics and Perception: How Policy Preferences Influence Legal Reasoning (University of Virginia Press, 2009)
2010 Gordon Silverstein, University of California, Berkeley
Law's Allure: How Law Shapes, Constrains, Saves and Kills Politics (Cambridge University Press, 2009)
2009 Paul Collins Jr., University of North Texas
Friends of the Supreme Court: Interest Groups and Judicial Decision Making (Oxford University Press, 2008)
2008 Keith Whittington, Princeton University
Political Foundations of Judicial Supremacy: The Presidency, the Supreme Court and Constitutional Leadership (Princeton University Press)
2008 Lisa Hilbink, University of Minnesota
Judges Beyond Politics in Democracy and Dictatorship: Lessons from Chile (Cambridge University Press)
2007 Lawrence Baum, Ohio State University
Judges and Their Audiences: A Perspective on Judicial Behavior
2006 Peter Russell, University of Toronto
Recognizing Aboriginal Title: The Mabo Case and Indigenous Resistance to English-Settler Colonies (University of Toronto Press, 2005)
2005 William Haltom, University of Puget Sound
Distorting The Law: Politics, Media, And The Litigation Crisis. Chicago: (University of Chicago Press)
2005 Michael McCann, University of Washington, Seattle
Distorting The Law: Politics, Media, And The Litigation Crisis. (University of Chicago Press)
2004 Tom Ginsburg, University of Illinois College of Law
Judicial Review in New Democracies: Constitutional Courts In Asian Cases (Cambridge University Press, 2003)
2004 George Lovell
Legislative Deferrals: Statutory Ambiguity, Judicial Power, and American Democracy (Cambridge University Press)
2003 Ira Strauber, Grinnell College
Neglected Policies: Constitutional Law and Legal Commentary as Civic Education (Duke University Press, 2002)
2002 Lynn Mather, Dathmouth College
Co-Authored with Richard J. Maiman, University of Southern Maine and Craig McEwen, Bowdoin College, Divorce Lawyers at Work: Varieties of Professionalism in Practice (Oxford University Press, 2001)
2002 Craig McEwen, Bowdoin Cellege
Co-Authored with Lynn Mather, Dartmouth College and Richard J. Maiman, University of Southern Maine, Divorce Lawyers at Work: Varieties of Professionalism in Practice (Oxford University Press, 2001)
2002 Richard Maiman, University of Southern Maine
Co-Authored with Lynn Mather, Dartmouth College and Craig McEwen, Bowdoin College, Divorce Lawyers at Work: Varieties of Professionalism in Practice (Oxford University Press, 2001)
2001 Forrest Maltzman, George Washington University
Crafting Law on the Supreme Court (Cambridge University Press, 2000)
2001 James Spriggs II, University of California at Davis
Co-Authored with Forrest Maltzman, George Washington University and Paul J. Wahlbeck, George Washington University, Crafting Law on the Supreme Court (Cambridge University Press, 2000)
2001 Paul Wahlbeck, George Washington University
Co-Authored with Forrest Maltzman, George Washington University and James F. Spriggs, II, University of California at Davis, Crafting Law on the Supreme Court (Cambridge University Press, 2000)
2000 Harold Spaeth, Michigan State University
Majority Rule or Minority Will: Adherence to Precedent on the U.S. Supreme Court (Cambridge University Press, 1999)
2000 Jeffrey Segal, Stony Brook University
Majority Rule or Minority Will: Adherence to Precedent on the U.S. Supreme Court (Cambridge University Press, 1999)
1998 Lee Epstein, Washington University
The Choices Justices Make (Congressional Quarterly Press, 1998)
1998 Charles Epp, University of Kansas
The Rights Revolution (University of Chicago Press, 1998)
1998 Jack Knight, Washington University
The Choices Justices Make (Congressional Quarterly Press, 1998)
1998 Honorable Mention
Sheldon Goldman, University of Massachusetts-Amherst
"Picking Federal Judges: Lower Court Selection From Roosevelt Through Reagan" (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997)
1997 Wayne Moore, Virginia Tech
Constitutional Rights and the Powers of the People (Princeton University Press)
1996   John Maltese, University of Georgia
The Selling of Supreme Court Nominees (Johns Hopkins University Press)
1995 Michael McCann, University of Washington, Seattle
Rights at Work: Pay Equity Reform and the Politics of Legal Mobilization (University of Chicago Press)
1994 Howard Gillman, University of Southern California
The Constitution Besieged: The Rise and Demise of Lochner Era Police Powers Jurisprudence (Durham: Duke University Press, 1993)
1994 Honorable Mention
Kevin McGuire, University of Minnesota
The Supreme Court Bar: Legal Elites in the Washington Community (University Press of Virginia)
1993 H.W. Perry Jr., Harvard University
Deciding to Decide: Agenda Setting in the United States Supreme Court (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1991)
1993 Herbert Kritzer, University of Wisconsin
Let's Make a Deal: Understanding the Negotiation Process in Ordinary Litigation (Madison University of Wisconsin Press, 1991)
1991 Susan Lawrence, Rutgers University
The Poor in Court: The Legal Services Program and Supreme Court Decision Making (Princeton University Press)

 


Law and Courts Lifetime Achievement Award
The Lifetime Achievement Award is an award for a lifetime of significant scholarship, teaching and service to the Law and Courts field.

2023 Mark A. Graber, University of Maryland
2022 Malcolm Feeley, University of California, Berkley
2021

Leslie Goldstein, University of Delaware (Emerita)

2020 Gregory Caldeira, Ohio State University
2019 Gary Jacobsohn, University of Texas at Austin
2018 Jeffrey Segal, Stony Brook University
2017  Doris Maria Provine, Arizona State University
2016  Lee Epstein, Washington University in St. Louis
2015  Donald Songer, University of South Carolina 
2014 Lawrence Baum, Ohio State University
2012 Robert Kagan, University of California, Berkeley
2011 James Gibson, Washington University in St Louis
2010 Sanford Levinson, University of Texas, Austin
2009 David Danelski, Stanford University
2008 J. Woodford Howard Jr., Johns Hopkins University
2007 Saul Brenner, University of North Carolina, Charlotte
2006 Sheldon Goldman, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
2005 Joel Grossman, Johns Hopkins University
2004 Stuart Scheingold, University of Washington
2003 S. Sidney Ulmer, University of Kentucky
2002 Walter Berns, American Enterprise Institute
2001 Martin Shapiro, University of California-Berkeley
2000 Beverly Cook, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
1999 Glendon Schubert, University of Hawaii, Manoa
1998 Samuel Krislov, University of Minnesota
1997 Harold Spaeth, Michigan State University
1995 Walter Murphy, Princeton University
1993 Henry Abraham, University of Virginia

Law and Courts Lasting Contribution Award

The Last Contribution Award is given annually for work that stands the test of time, work that inspires long after the issue that gave rise to that work is a true mark of distinction. Each year a book or journal article, 10 years old or older, that has made a lasting impression on the field of law and courts. (From 2001 to 2007 this was titled the Wadsworth Publishing Award).

2023 Michael W. Giles, Emory University
“Picking Federal Judges: A Note on Policy and Partisan Selection Agendas.” Political Research Quarterly, 2001, 54(3):623-641.
2023 Virginia A. Hettinger, University of Connecticut
“Picking Federal Judges: A Note on Policy and Partisan Selection Agendas.” Political Research Quarterly, 2001, 54(3):623-641.
2023 Todd Peppers, Roanoke College
“Picking Federal Judges: A Note on Policy and Partisan Selection Agendas.” Political Research Quarterly, 2001, 54(3):623-641.
2022 Thomas Ginsburg, University of Chicago
Judicial Review in New Democracies, Cambridge University Press, 2003.
2022 Chrstina Boyd, University of Georgia
“Untangling the Causal Effects of Sex on Judging", American Journal of Political Science, 2010.
2022 Lee Epstein, Washington University
“Untangling the Causal Effects of Sex on Judging", American Journal of Political Science, 2010.
2022

Andrew Martin, Washington University
“Untangling the Causal Effects of Sex on Judging", American Journal of Political Science, 2010.

2021

Ran Hirschl, University of Toronto
Towards Juristocracy:  The Origins and Consequences of the New Constitutionalism. Harvard University Press.

2020 James Gibson, Washington University of St. Louis
“On the Legitimacy of National High Courts.” 1998. American Political Science Review.
2020 Gregory Caldeira, Ohio State University
“On the Legitimacy of National High Courts.” 1998. American Political Science Review.
2020 Vanessa Baird, University of Colorado, Boulder
“On the Legitimacy of National High Courts.” 1998. American Political Science Review.
2019 Alec Stone Sweet , National University of Singapore
Governing with Judges: Constitutional Politics in Western Europe . Oxford University Press, 2000.
2019 Tamir Moustafa , Simon Fraser University
The Struggle for Constitutional Power: Law, Politics, and Economic Development in Egypt. Cambridge University Press, 2007.
2018 Melinda Gann Hall, Michigan State University
"Electoral Politics and Strategic Voting in State Supreme Courts." Journal of Politics. 54(2): 427-446.
2017  Forrest Maltzman, George Washington University
Crafting Law on the Supreme Court: The Collegial Game. Cambridge University Press, 2000. 
2017  James F. Spriggs II, Washington University on St. Louis
Crafting Law on the Supreme Court: The Collegial Game. Cambridge University Press, 2000. 
2017  Paul J. Wahlbeck, George Washington University
Crafting Law on the Supreme Court: The Collegial Game. Cambridge University Press, 2000.  
2016  Kevin M. Quinn, University of California, Berkeley
"Dynamic Ideal Point Estimation via Markov Chain Monte Carlo for the U.S. Supreme Court, 1953-1999." 2002. Political Analysis. 10:134-153.
2016  Andrew D. Martin, University of Michigan
"Dynamic Ideal Point Estimation via Markov Chain Monte Carlo for the U.S. Supreme Court, 1953-1999." 2002. Political Analysis. 10:134-153.
2015  Chuck Epp, University of Kansas
The Rights Revolution. Chicago, 1998
2014 Lynn Mather, Buffalo University
Language, Audience and the Transformation of Disputes. 15 Law & Society Review 3-4 (1980-81)
2014 Barbara Yngvesson, Hampshire College
Language, Audience and the Transformation of Disputes. 15 Law & Society Review 3-4 (1980-81)
2013 Gregory Caldeira, Ohio State University
"Organized Interests and Agenda Setting in the U.S. Supreme Court" American Political Science Review, volume 82, number 4 (December 1988)
2013 Jack Wright, Ohio State University
"Organized Interests and Agenda Setting in the U.S. Supreme Court" American Political Science Review, volume 82, number 4 (December 1988)
2012 R. Melnick, Boston College
Between the Lines: Interpreting Welfare Rights (Brookings Institution Press, 1994)
2011 William Felstiner, University of California, Santa Barbara
"The Emergence and Transformation of Disputes: Naming, Blaming, Claiming" 15 Law & Society Review, 631 (1981)
2011 Austin Sarat, Amherst College
"The Emergence and Transformation of Disputes: Naming, Blaming, Claiming" 15 Law & Society Review, 631 (1981)
2011 Richard Abel, University of California, Los Angeles
"The Emergence and Transformation of Disputes: Naming, Blaming, Claiming" 15 Law & Society Review, 631 (1981)
2010 Lee Epstein, Northwestern University
The Choices Justices Make (CQ Press, 1998)
2010 Jack Knight, Duke University
The Choices Justices Make (CQ Press, 1998)
2009 Charles Franklin, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Republican Schoolmaster: The US Supreme Court, Public Opinion, and Abortion," American Political Science Review, vol 83, no 3 (1989)
2009 Liane Kosaki, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Republican Schoolmaster: The US Supreme Court, Public Opinion, and Abortion," American Political Science Review, vol 83, no 3 (1989)
2008   Mark Graber, University of Maryland
"The Non-Majoritarian Problem: Legislative Deference to the Judiciary Committee" Studies in American Political Development, 1993.
2007 H.W. Perry Jr., University of Texas, Austin
Deciding to Decide (Harvard University Press, 1994)
2006 Michael McCann, University of Washington, Seattle
Rights at Work: Pay Equity Reform and the Politics of Legal Mobilization (University of Chicago Press, 1994)
2005 Jeffrey Segal, Stony Brook University
The Supreme Court and the Attitudinal Model. New York: Cambridge University Press. (1993)
2005 Harold Spaeth, Michigan State University
The Supreme Court and the Attitudinal Model. New York: Cambridge University Press. (1993)
2004 Rogers Smith, University of Pennsylvania
"Political Jurisprudence, the 'New Institutionalism,' and the Future of Public Law," (American Political Science Review, 1988)
2003 Gerald Rosenberg, University of Chicago
The Hollow Hope: Can Courts Bring About Social Change? (University of Chicago Press, 1991)
2002 Jeffrey Segal, Stony Brook University
"Predicting Supreme Court Cases Probabilistically: The Search and Seizure Cases" American Political Science Review 1968
2001 J. Woodford Howard Jr., Johns Hopkins University
"On the Fluidity of Judicial Choice" American Political Science Review 1968
2000 Robert Dahl, Yale University
"Decision-Making in a Democracy: The Supreme Court as a National Policy Maker" Journal of Public Law, 1958

McGraw Hill Award
The Best Journal Article Award recognizes the best journal article on law and courts written by a political scientist and published during the previous calendar year.

2006 Gary King, Harvard University
"The Supreme Court During Crisis," New York University Law Review, 80, 1 (April 2005): 1-116


Law and Courts Service Award

The Law and Courts Service Award recognizes service to the section in the literal sense, as in service on committees and in leadership positions, as well as service within the Section, as in service to the profession within the field of law and courts in the form of archiving data, promoting infrastructure, representing the profession in the media, etc. 

  2023 Alyx Mark, Wesleyan University
  2023 Abigail Matthews, The State University of New York at Buffalo
  2023 Monica Lineberger, University of Wisconsin- Whitewater
  2022 Sivaram Cheruvu, University of Texas at Dallas
  2021

Rebecca Reid, University of Texas – El Paso

  2020 Paul Collins, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
  2019 Julie Novkov, The State University of New York at Albany
  2018 Wendy Martinek, State University of New York at Binghampton
  2017  David Klein, Eastern Michigan University
  2016  Christine Harrington, New York University 
  2015  Art Ward, North Illinois University 
  2013 Lee Epstein, University of Southern California
  2012 Howard Gillman, University of Southern California
  2011 Wayne McIntosh, University of Maryland, College Park

Law and Courts Teaching and Mentoring Award

The Teaching and Mentoring Award recognizes innovative teaching and instructional methods and materials in law and courts. Examples of innovations that might be recognized by this award include (but are not limited to) outstanding textbooks, websites, classroom exercises, syllabi, or other devices designed to enhance the transmission of knowledge about law and courts to undergraduate or graduate students. The Teaching and Mentoring Award is supported by a generous contribution from the Division for Public Education of the American Bar Association. The Teaching and Mentoring Award Committee also advises the Organized Section on matters related to teaching and mentoring of students and colleagues.

2023 Sheldon Goldman, University of Massachusetts Amherst
2023 Laura P. Moyer, University of Louisville

2022 Mark Fathi Massoud, UC Santa Cruz
2021 Carol Nackenoff, Swarthmore College
2020 Jennifer Bowie, University of Richmond
2019 Virginia Hettinger, University of Connecticut
2018 Bethany Blackstone, Unviersity of North Texas

2017 H.W. Perry, University of Texas
2016 Susan Haire, University of Georgia
2015 Julie Novkov, State University of New York-Albany
2014 Gerald Rosenberg, The University of Chicago
2013 Howard Gillman, University of California, Irvine
2013 Mark Graber, University of Maryland
2013 Keith Whittington, Princeton University
2012 Wendy Martinek, SUNY, Binghamton University
2011 Milton Heumann, Rutgers University
2010 Lief Carter, Colorado College
2009 Robert Kagan, University of California, Berkeley
2008 Jeffrey Segal, Stony Brook University
2007 Susette Talarico, University of Georgia
2006 Ronald Kahn, Oberlin College
2005 Lawrence Baum, Ohio State University
2004 Jerry Goldman, Northwestern University
2004 Christine Harrington, New York University
2003 Lee Epstein, Washington University
2003 Thomas Walker, Emory University
2002 Elliot Slotnick, Ohio State University