My research centers on judicial politics and public law, with a broader interest in American political institutions. I am particularly interested in how the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court decide cases and in how political polarization shapes the staffing of the federal judiciary. I am also broadly interested in gun violence and gun control.
In “Toward a Dominant Theory? Judicial Behavior on the Contemporary Supreme Court,” I examine which theories of judicial decision-making best explain the behavior of the justices on today’s Court. In a second working paper, “Polarization and the Federal Judiciary,” I show that increased polarization leads to fewer judicial nominees being confirmed and significantly lengthens the confirmation process. I plan to extend this work to federal bureaucratic appointments.
My dissertation, “The Impact of Political Party Control on Health Outcomes in U.S. States,” examined whether the party in control of a state’s government shapes three health indicators: infant mortality, Type II diabetes, and COVID-19. Using data primarily from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, I found no clear evidence that states with Democratic governors and legislatures have better outcomes on these measures. I am developing each outcome into a standalone paper, and I have extended the COVID-19 work to examine how policy stringency and enforcement relate to COVID-19 mortality across the states.
Works in Progress
- “Toward a Dominant Theory? Judicial Behavior on the Contemporary Supreme Court”
- “Polarization and the Federal Judiciary: Analyzing the Influence of Political Polarization on Federal Judicial Appointments”
- “The Influence of Political Party Control on COVID-19 Health Outcomes in US States”
- “The Influence of Political Party Control on Type 2 Diabetes Health Outcomes in US States”
- “The Influence of Political Party Control on Infant Mortality Health Outcomes in US States”
Recent Conference Presentations
- “Policy Stringency, Enforcement, and COVID-19 Mortality Across the American States,” Health Politics and Policy Research Conference, June 2026
- “Toward a Dominant Theory? Judicial Behavior on the Contemporary Supreme Court,” SPSA Annual Conference, January 2026
- “The Influence of Political Party Control on COVID-19 Health Outcomes in US States,” SPSA Annual Conference, January 2026
- “The Impact of Political Party Control on Type II Diabetes Outcomes in U.S. States,” SPSA Annual Conference, January 2025
