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Posts by Michael Nelson

Book cover for Rachel A. Shelden, The Political Supreme Court: A Forgotten History

Book cover for Rachel A. Shelden, The Political Supreme Court: A Forgotten History

Not sure whether this is apt or terrible timing but here’s the official cover of my book due out with @uncpress.bsky.social W. Hodding Carter III imprint this fall. 🎉

3 weeks ago 607 137 25 16

See also this article with @mjnelson.bsky.social

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

3 weeks ago 3 1 0 0
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The Politics of Judicial Elections 2023-24 Spending hit new highs, fueled largely by interest groups and battles over abortion rights.

Just published my analysis of spending in the 2024 state supreme court election cycle. At $157 million, this was the most expensive cycle ever for judicial races…by a lot. Including in states where judicial elections probably weren’t on your radar.

1 month ago 17 15 1 2
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On The Docket - Experience the Supreme Court Like Never Before We transform audio recordings into compelling video narratives using AI technology.

If you are interested in the U.S. Supreme Court, but have never seen the justices in action, onthedocket.org provides a step in the right direction. We combine authentic audio with AI-generated video to show you the justices announcing opinions in some of the highest profile cases they decide!

2 months ago 5 5 1 0
Postdoctoral Fellowship at Hoover Institution, Stanford University – Tom Clark - Hoover Apply

Come work at Stanford! I'm hiring a post-doc who will work with me on projects about prosecutors and trial courts in the US. Feel free to contact me with any questions, or apply here: hoover.smapply.us/prog/postdoc...

3 months ago 5 8 0 0

As rights protections across the states diverge people may relocate to pursue more rights.

@mjnelson.bsky.social and I find abortion rights spur moves and this very interesting report shows that attacks on LGBT rights are also interstate spurring migration.

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

3 months ago 3 4 1 0
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Reviewing fast or slow: A theory of summary reversal in the judicial hierarchy by Alexander V. Hirsch, Jonathan P. Kastellec, and Anthony R. Taboni is now available in Early View. @jkastellec.bsky.social @anthonytaboni.bsky.social ajps.org/2026/01/09/r...

3 months ago 8 9 0 0

Just in time for your State Politics grad seminar, Berkman, Herlihy and I have some data on the development of the State Politics subfield (and SPPQ) over the past 65 years!

3 months ago 2 2 0 0
Welcome to the Dynamic Democracy App
This app lets you manipulate, explore, and download the Dynamic Democracy datasets with information on state policies and public opinion assembled by Devin Caughey and Chris Warshaw. Click on the triangle next to each category for more details.
• State Policies: This dataset includes information on approximately 200 policies in place in at least one state between 1936 and 2024.
• State Policy Ideology : Measures summarizing aggregate policy outputs in each state/year between 1936-2024.
• Public Opinion: Measures summarizing state publics views on approximately 80 issues, covering 1936-2024.
• Mass Ideology.: Measures of state publics' economic and cultural ideological preferences, 1936-2021.
• Policy Proximity.: Measures of how closely state policies match public preferences.

Welcome to the Dynamic Democracy App This app lets you manipulate, explore, and download the Dynamic Democracy datasets with information on state policies and public opinion assembled by Devin Caughey and Chris Warshaw. Click on the triangle next to each category for more details. • State Policies: This dataset includes information on approximately 200 policies in place in at least one state between 1936 and 2024. • State Policy Ideology : Measures summarizing aggregate policy outputs in each state/year between 1936-2024. • Public Opinion: Measures summarizing state publics views on approximately 80 issues, covering 1936-2024. • Mass Ideology.: Measures of state publics' economic and cultural ideological preferences, 1936-2021. • Policy Proximity.: Measures of how closely state policies match public preferences.

🚨 the best state policy & public opinion database is now online. ~200 (!!!) state policies and 80 public opinion series on abortion, labor, taxes, environment, guns, education…

dynamicdemocracy.shinyapps.io

Massive public goods provision from @devincaughey.bsky.social & @chriswarshaw.bsky.social

3 months ago 117 44 4 5
CSAP Predoc: Polarization and Inequality in the U.S. Criminal Legal System

I’m hiring a predoctoral fellow for the 2026-2027 AY with possibility of a second year. This is a great position for someone interested in pursuing a Ph.D. or who wants more hands-on experience doing research. Please apply/share! Happy to answer questions!

tobin.yale.edu/opportunitie...

4 months ago 30 37 1 1
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Professor’s new book examines public perceptions of independent courts | Penn State University Michael J. Nelson, professor and head of the Department of Political Science in Penn State’s College of the Liberal Arts, is the co-author of the new book, “The Efficacy of Judicial Review: The Rule o...

Penn State published a nice article on my recent book with Amanda Driscoll and Jay Krehbiel about the public's support for the rule of law and why it matters: www.psu.edu/news/liberal...

4 months ago 8 3 0 0

Doctors are less likely to want a residency in states with abortion bans per research with @mjnelson.bsky.social

Studies we cite shows high achieving women don’t want to go to college in states with bans.

It goes beyond bans of course. Brain drain is real.

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

4 months ago 4 5 0 1

A new article with @mjnelson.bsky.social in PRQ, using a conjoint, CPS ASES and medical residency application data, finds that abortion bans make states less desirable places to live for young women, college graduates and doctors.

This law is more extreme.

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

5 months ago 29 27 2 1

Friends, my article w/ @silje-hermansen.bsky.social and @louisabo.bsky.social on how/why the "have nots" come out ahead in litigation @eucourtofjustice.bsky.social is out in @bjpols.bsky.social! We propose a theory of judicial leveling & spotlighting to explain these contrarian results: take a look!

5 months ago 24 9 1 0
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Washington DC Program Coordinator & Assistant Teaching Professor of Political Science APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student), please login to Workday to complete the internal application process. Please do not apply here, a...

The full job posting is available here: psu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/PSU_Academic...

5 months ago 2 0 0 0

This is a great opportunity for someone passionate about connecting students to careers in politics, policy, and public service. The position combines teaching, mentorship, and program leadership.

5 months ago 2 0 1 0

Penn State Political Science is launching a new Semester in Washington program and we’re hiring a full-time on-site coordinator for the program, based permanently in Washington, D.C.

5 months ago 2 1 1 0
: Loyola University Chicago

SPPC 2026 will be held in Chicago and has a website: www.luc.edu/politicalsci.... Hope to see you there!

5 months ago 7 3 1 0
BJPolS abstract discussing the impact of public support on judicial institutions and interbranch conflicts. The abstract analyses how governmental challenges affect trust in judiciaries, particularly after high-profile judicial reforms, using a hypothesis that relates public reactions to government's actions.

BJPolS abstract discussing the impact of public support on judicial institutions and interbranch conflicts. The abstract analyses how governmental challenges affect trust in judiciaries, particularly after high-profile judicial reforms, using a hypothesis that relates public reactions to government's actions.

NEW -

Trust in the Judiciary and Partisan Reactions to Judicial Checks: Evidence from Argentina - https://cup.org/42BRe1j

"judicial checks expose citizens to information that is primarily instrumental"

- Martín Gandur

#FirstView

6 months ago 3 2 0 1
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Banner with the hashtag #OpenAccess on a green background above the name 'American Political Science Review' on a blue background.

Banner with the hashtag #OpenAccess on a green background above the name 'American Political Science Review' on a blue background.

#OpenAccess from @apsrjournal.bsky.social -

The Path of Law: Legal Uncertainty and Issues of First Impression in the U.S. Courts of Appeals - https://cup.org/42XsrF0

- @anthonytaboni.bsky.social

#FirstView

6 months ago 5 4 0 0
Journal of Statistics Education, V2N1: Eckert

Taught intro to hypothesis testing today in undergrad stats for the first time in a while and this activity is undefeated for giving the intuition for hypothesis testing: jse.amstat.org/v2n1/eckert..... Plus you can do it as a magic trick which makes it fun.

6 months ago 14 5 4 1

(To do the magic trick, start with a regular deck and have different students draw samples and talk about sampling variation. Then switch decks at the podium to the all red deck)

6 months ago 2 0 0 0

That’s Day 2! Weeks ago!

6 months ago 1 0 1 0
Journal of Statistics Education, V2N1: Eckert

Taught intro to hypothesis testing today in undergrad stats for the first time in a while and this activity is undefeated for giving the intuition for hypothesis testing: jse.amstat.org/v2n1/eckert..... Plus you can do it as a magic trick which makes it fun.

6 months ago 14 5 4 1
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Participating The Evaluation of Publication in Political Research study is open to serious producers and consumers of political research, including faculty in institutions of higher education, doctoral students,…

colleagues in political science. the formal update to the Garand and Giles journal ranking survey is now live. many of you will receive an email momentarily inviting you to participate. in the event you do NOT receive an invitation, please see this website to self-enroll. thanks! sharing = caring!

7 months ago 19 15 2 2

More than you've ever wanted to know about the consequences executives face for defying courts, available for 20% off with discount code TEJR2025 at www.cambridge.org/core/books/e...!

7 months ago 4 1 0 0
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Assistant Professor, Political Science APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student), please login to Workday to complete the internal application process. Please do not apply here, a...

JOB:

psu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/PSU_Ac...

7 months ago 7 3 0 0
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Assistant Professor, Political Science APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student), please login to Workday to complete the internal application process. Please do not apply here, a...

The ad is available here: psu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/PSU_Ac...

7 months ago 2 0 0 0

We welcome candidates whose research and teaching address topics including public opinion, electoral behavior, the role of AI in democracy, democratic principles, representation, political participation, political psychology, partisanship, polarization, gender, or race/ethnicity.

7 months ago 4 0 1 0
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Assistant Professor, Political Science APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student), please login to Workday to complete the internal application process. Please do not apply here, a...

Penn State is searching at the Assistant Professor level in in American political behavior, broadly defined. We are seekign someone who can offer undergraduate and graduate courses in political methodology or social data analytics.

7 months ago 18 19 1 1