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.

2025	Andrew O’Donohue, Harvard University “Law versus Democracy: Minoritarian Courts, Audience Costs, and Democratic Backsliding in Turkey.”
2025	Honorable Mention Anthony Taboni, Princeton University “The Path of Law: Legal Uncertainty and Issues of First Impression in the U.S. Courts of Appeals.”
2024	Maureen Stobb, Georgia Southern University “Meeting of the Minds: Reshaping Citizens’ Rights and Duties.” Presented at the 2023 American Political Science Association Annual Meeting.
2024	Christina Bambrick, University of Notre Dame “Meeting of the Minds: Reshaping Citizens’ Rights and Duties.” Presented at the 2023 American Political Science Association Annual Meeting.
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.

2025	Matthew Dahl, Yale University “Chain novel, or Markov chain? Estimating the authority of U.S. Supreme Court case law.” Journal of Empirical Legal Studies 21(4): 861-898. 2024.
2025	Honorable Mention Abigail Hassett, University of South Carolina “Unified We Stand: Judicial Ambition, Partisan Politics, and the Senate Confirmations of Lower Court Nominees.”
2024	Sara J. Heridia, Emory University “Finding Echoes: Judicial Empathy Among Judges with Family Immigration Histories.” Presented at the 2023 American Political Science Association Annual Meeting.
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.” 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. 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.” Doug Johnson, University of Rochester “The Beliefs and Behavior of Appellate Court Judges.”  Natalie Rogol, Georgia State University “Going Public: Presidential Impact on Supreme Court Decision-Making.”  Matthew Montgomery, Georgia State University “Going Public: Presidential Impact on Supreme Court Decision-Making.”   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	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. 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.
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” Blake Emerson, Yale University “The Empowerment of Criticism: The Freedmen’s Bureau, Howard University, and the Origins and Demise of Segregated Schooling in the South” 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’ Douglas Kriner Hail to the Chief? Two Mechanisms of Congressional Influence over Presidential War-Making
2006	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” 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” 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” 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” 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).

2025	Jake S. Truscott, University of Florida “Analyzing the Rhetoric of Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings.” Journal of Law and Courts 12(1): 45-66. 2024.
2024	Brandon Bartels, George Washington University “Can Democratic Principles Protect High Courts from Partisan Backlash? Public Reactions to the Kenyan Supreme Court’s Role in the 2017 Election Crisis” American Journal of Political Science 67(3): 790-807. 2023. Jeremy Horowitz, Dartmouth College “Can Democratic Principles Protect High Courts from Partisan Backlash? Public Reactions to the Kenyan Supreme Court’s Role in the 2017 Election Crisis” American Journal of Political Science 67(3): 790-807. 2023. Eric Kramon, George Washington University “Can Democratic Principles Protect High Courts from Partisan Backlash? Public Reactions to the Kenyan Supreme Court’s Role in the 2017 Election Crisis” American Journal of Political Science 67(3): 790-807. 2023. Honorable Mention: Filiz Kahraman, University of Toronto “What Makes an International Institution Work for Labor Activists? Shaping International Law Through Strategic Litigation.” Law & Society Review 57(1): 61-82. 2023.
2023	Ryan E. Carlin, Georgia State University; Marianna Castrellón,Stanford University; “Public Reactions to Noncompliance with Judicial Orders.” American Political Science Review, 2022 Varun Gauri, Princeton University; “Public Reactions to Noncompliance with Judicial Orders.” American Political Science Review, 2022 Isabel C. Jaramillo Sierra, Universidad de los Andes, Colombia; “Public Reactions to Noncompliance with Judicial Orders.” American Political Science Review, 2022 Jeffrey K. Staton, Emory University “Public Reactions to Noncompliance with Judicial Orders.” American Political Science Review, 2022
2022	Alex Badas, University of Houston “The Supreme Court as an electoral issue: evidence from three studies,” Political Science Research and Methods, 2021. Elizabeth Sims, University of Houston “The Supreme Court as an electoral issue: evidence from three studies,” Political Science Research and Methods, 2021. 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.” 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. 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. Ryan Black, Michigan State University
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 Jay Krehbiel, Washington University in St. Louis “Courting the President: How Circuit Court Judges Alter Their Behavior for Promotion to the Supreme Court.” The American Journal of Political Science  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 Honorable Mention Charles Cameron, Princeton University “Are Supreme Court Nominations a Move-the-Median Game?” The American Political Science Review Honorable Mention Jonathan Kastellec, Princeton University “Are Supreme Court Nominations a Move-the-Median Game?” The American Political Science Review 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 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 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	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 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 R. Daniel Keleman, Rutgers University “Law, Focal Points, and Fiscal Discipline in the United States and the European Union.” American Political Science Review Terence K. Teo, Brown University “Law, Focal Points, and Fiscal Discipline in the United States and the European Union.” American Political Science Review
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) Kathryn Sikkink, Harvard University “Human Rights Prosecutions and the Participation Rights of Victims in Latin America.” 47 Law and Society Review 873 (2013 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) 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) 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) 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” 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 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” Daniel Ho, Harvard University “The Supreme Court During Crisis” 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. 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.

2025	Ryan C. Black, Michigan State University Ryan J. Owens, Florida State University Patrick C. Wohlfarth, University of Maryland Cognitive Aging and the Federal Circuit Courts: How Senescence Influences the Law and Judges. Oxford University Press, 2024.
2024	Christina L. Boyd, University of Georgia Dynamic Democracy: Supreme Bias: Gender and Race in U.S. Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings. Stanford University Press, 2023. Paul M. Collins, Jr., University of Massachusetts Amherst Dynamic Democracy: Supreme Bias: Gender and Race in U.S. Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings. Stanford University Press, 2023. Lori A. Ringhand, University of Georgia Dynamic Democracy: Supreme Bias: Gender and Race in U.S. Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings. Stanford University Press, 2023. Morgan L. W. Hazelton, Saint Louis University The Elevator Effect: Contact and Collegiality in the American Judiciary. Oxford University Press, 2023. Rachael K. Hinkle, University at Buffalo The Elevator Effect: Contact and Collegiality in the American Judiciary. Oxford University Press, 2023. Michael J. Nelson, Pennsylvania State University The Elevator Effect: Contact and Collegiality in the American Judiciary. Oxford University Press, 2023. Honorable Mention Charles M. Cameron, Princeton University Making the Supreme Court: The Politics of Appointments, 1930-2020. Oxford University Press, 2023. Honorable Mention Jonathan P. Kastellec, Princeton University Making the Supreme Court: The Politics of Appointments, 1930-2020. Oxford University Press, 2023.
2023	Ke Li, City University of New York Marriage Unbound: State Law, Power, and Inequality in Contemporary China. Stanford University Press (2022). Tommaso Pavone, University of Arizona The Ghostwriters: Lawyers and the Politics Behind the Judicial Construction of Europe Cambridge 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. Valerie J. Hoekstra, Arizona State University    Reimagining the Judiciary: Women’s Representation on High Courts Worldwide, Oxford University Press, 2021. Alice J, Khang, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Reimagining the Judiciary: Women’s Representation on High Courts Worldwide, Oxford University Press, 2021 Miki Caul Kittilson, Arizona State University Reimagining the Judiciary: Women’s Representation on High Courts Worldwide, Oxford University Press, 2021. James Gibson, Washington University Judging Inequality: State Supreme Courts and the Inequality Crisis, Russell Sage Foundation, 2021. 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. 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. Abby Blass , University of Texas at Austin The DNA of Constitutional Justice in Latin America: Politics, Governance, and Judicial Design . Cambridge University Press, 2018. 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. Derek Epp , University of Texas at Austin Suspect Citizens: What 20 Million Traffic Stops Tell Us About Policing and Race . Cambridge University Press, 2018. 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. 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	Melinda Gann Hall, Michigan State University Attacking Judges: How Campaign Advertising Influences State Supreme Court Elections. Stanford University Press, 2014. Ran Hirschl, University of Toronto Comparative Matters: The Renaissance of Comparative Constitutional Law. Oxford 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) 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) 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) 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) 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) 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) 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) 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) 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) 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) Charles Epp, University of Kansas The Rights Revolution (University of Chicago Press, 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) 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.

2025	Charles Cameron, Princeton University
2024	Melinda Gann Hall, Michigan State University
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	Lawrence 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 Lifetime Achievement Award
2003	S. Sidney Ulmer, University of Kentucky Lifetime Achievement Award
2002	Walter Berns, American Enterprise Institute Lifetime Achievement Award
2001	Martin Shapiro, University of California-Berkeley Lifetime Achievement Award
2000	Beverly Cook, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Lifetime Achievement Award
1999	Glendon Schubert, University of Hawaii, Manoa Lifetime Achievement Award
1998	Samuel Krislov, University of Minnesota Lifetime Achievement Award
1997	Harold Spaeth, Michigan State University Lifetime Achievement Award
1995	Walter Murphy, Princeton University Lifetime Achievement Award
1993	Henry Abraham, University of Virginia Lifetime Achievement Award

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).

2025	Timothy R. Johnson, University of Minnesota Twin Cities Paul J. Wahlbeck, George Washington University James F. Spriggs, Washington University in St. Louis “The Influence of Oral Arguments on the U.S. Supreme Court.” American Political Science Review 100(1): 99-113. 2006.
2024	Lisa Hilbink, University of Minnesota Judges Beyond Politics in Democracy and Dictatorship: Lessons From Chile, Cambridge University Press, 2007.
2023	Michael W. Giles, Emory University; Virginia A. Hettinger, University of Connecticut; Picking Federal Judges: A Note on Policy and Partisan Selection Agendas. Political Research Quarterly, 2001, Todd Peppers, Roanoke College Picking Federal Judges: A Note on Policy and Partisan Selection Agendas. Political Research Quarterly, 2001,
2022	Thomas Ginsburg, University of Chicago Judicial Review in New Democracies, Cambridge University Press, 2003. Chrstina Boyd, University of Georgia “Untangling the Causal Effects of Sex on Judging”, American Journal of Political Science, 2010. Lee Epstein, Washington University “Untangling the Causal Effects of Sex on Judging”, American Journal of Political Science, 2010. 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. Gregory Caldeira, Ohio State University “On the Legitimacy of National High Courts.” 1998. American Political Science Review. 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. 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.  James F. Spriggs II, Washington University on St. Louis Crafting Law on the Supreme Court: The Collegial Game. Cambridge University Press, 2000.  Paul J. Wahlbeck, George Washington University Crafting Law on the Supreme Court: The Collegial Game. Cambridge University Press, 2000.
2016	Andrew D. Martin, University of Michigan “Dynamic Ideal Point Estimation via Markov Chain Monte Carlo for the U.S. Supreme Court, 1953-1999.” Political Analysis. 10:134-153. Kevin M. Quinn, University of California, Berkeley “Dynamic Ideal Point Estimation via Markov Chain Monte Carlo for the U.S. Supreme Court, 1953-1999.” 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) 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) 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) Austin Sarat, Amherst College “The Emergence and Transformation of Disputes: Naming, Blaming, Claiming” 15 Law & Society Review, 631 (1981) 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) 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) 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) 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

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.

2025	Reggie Sheehan, Michigan State University
2024	Amanda Driscoll, Florida State University Michael J. Nelson, Pennsylvania State University
2023	Alyx Mark, Wesleyan University; Abigail Matthews, The State University of New York at Buffalo; 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 Binghamton
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.

2025	Teaching Award Vanessa Barid, University of Colorado Boulder
2025	Mentoring Award Ryan Black, Michigan State University
2024	Jolly Emrey, University of Wisconsin, Whitewater Teena Wilhelm, University of Georgia
2023	Sheldon Goldman, University of Massachusetts Amherst 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 Mark Graber, University of Maryland 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 Christine Harrington, New York University
2003	Lee Epstein, Washington University Thomas Walker, Emory University
2002	Elliot Slotnick, Ohio State University

Best Journal Article 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.

2025	Matthew Dahl, Yale University “Chain novel, or Markov chain? Estimating the authority of U.S. Supreme Court case law.” Journal of Empirical Legal Studies 21(4): 861-898. 2024.