Lee Epstein is a political scientist whose research and teaching interests center on law and legal institutions, especially the behavior of judges. An award-winning professor, she teaches courses on the U.S. Supreme Court, constitutional law, free speech, and judicial behavior at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Epstein’s research has been frequently cited by The New York Times and other news media, and she is principal investigator of the U.S. Supreme Court Database.
Professional positions
- 2014–2022, 2024–present: Ethan A.H. Shepley Distinguished University Professor, Washington University in St. Louis
- 2022–2024: Charles L. and Ramona I. Hilliard Distinguished Professor of Law and University Professor of Law & Political Science, University of Southern California
- 2011–2014: Provost Professor of Law & Political Science, University of Southern California
- 2006–2011: Beatrice Kuhn Professor of Law (2006–2008) and Henry Wade Rogers Professor (2008–2011), Northwestern University
- 1991–2006: Associate professor (1991–1993), full professor (1993–1998), and Mallinckrodt Distinguished University Professor of Political Science (1998–2006) and professor of law (2000–2006), Washington University in St. Louis
- 1986–1991: Assistant (1986–1989) to associate (1989–1991) professor of political science, Southern Methodist University
Notable publications
- Epstein, Lee, Gunnar Gerndstad, Urška Šadl, and Keren Weinshall, eds. 2024. The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Judicial Behaviour. Oxford University Press.
- Boyd, Christina L., Lee Epstein, and Andrew D. Martin. 2010. “Untangling the Causal Effects of Sex on Judging.” American Journal of Political Science 54(2): 389–411.
- Epstein, Lee, Daniel E. Ho, Gary King, and Jeffrey A. Segal. 2005. “The Supreme Court During Crisis: How War Affects Only Non-War Cases.” New York University Law Review 80(1): 1–116.
- Epstein, Lee, and Jack Knight. 1998. The Choices Justices Make. CQ Press.
Degrees
- PhD, political science, Emory University
- MA, political science, Emory University
- BA, political science and sociology, Emory University
In The ANNALS
- Volume 713, May 2024: Donald J. Trump, the Supreme Court, and American Constitutionalism (coedited with Rogers M. Smith)
- Volume 708, July 2023: “In Electoral Disputes, State Justices Are Less Reliable GOP Allies than the U.S. Supreme Court—That’s the “Problem” the Independent State Legislature Claim Hopes to Solve” (coauthored with Rebecca L. Brown and Michael J. Nelson)
