Town Hall Democracy: From Colonial Participation to Campaign Theater
Recent electoral cycles have witnessed a striking resurgence in "town hall meetings" as a preferred format for political debates and...
Why Don’t Ruling Parties Create Permanent Legislative Majorities Through Redistricting?
Every decade, after the census, state legislatures across America engage in the ultimate exercise of political power: redrawing electoral districts....
80 Cents on the Dollar? A Critical Analysis of Federal Grants to State Governments
State governments across America face a fundamental dilemma: accept federal funding with strings attached, or forgo billions in resources that...
The Paradox of Political Ambition: Why Anyone Would Want to Run for Office
"You'd have to be crazy to run." This observation about modern politics has become almost cliché, yet it captures a...
Presidential Ideal Points in the Age of Trump: A Suggestion for Future Research
One of the more powerful tools in understanding American political institutions is the ideal point estimate — a statistical summary...
Modeling the NFL Betting Market
Looking ahead to the 2025/26 NFL season, I analyzed DraftKings betting lines to understand how point spreads and over/under totals...
Do Judges and Juries See Cases Differently? Rethinking the Severity Gap
A well-documented finding in legal research is that judges tend to render more severe verdicts than juries do when deciding...
Cases that Illustrate Felony-Murder Rule
Teaching a class on judicial process and politics, I located some interesting cases to illustrate the felony-murder rule. I think...
Career Planning Advice for Students (in Simple Diagram)
As a college professor, I have had many opportunities to talk with students about their career plans. Many of these...
Requiring that States Pay Jurors at Least Minimum Wage for Serving on Juries
Jury service is a cornerstone of the American justice system, yet jurors in many states receive woefully inadequate compensation for...