Lee Epstein is the University Professor of Law & Political Science; and the Charles L. and Ramona I. Hilliard Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Southern California. Her research and teaching interests center on law and legal institutions, especially the behavior of judges.
Professor Epstein is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Academy of Political and Social Science. In addition to her position at USC, she is aĀ Distinguished Visiting Professor at Hebrew University and at Washington University in St. Louis. She also serves as Principal Investigator of the U.S. Supreme Court Database.
A recipient of 12 grants from the National Science Foundation, Epstein has authored or co-authored more than 100 articles and essays and 18 books. She is currently co-editingĀ The Oxford Handbook on Judicial BehaviourĀ (with Gunnar Grendstad, Urska Sadl, & Keren Weinshall). Professor Epsteinās empirical research is frequently cited in theĀ New York Times, among other news media.
Awards include the Pritchett Award for the Best Book on Law and Courts and the Lasting Contribution Award for research “that has made a lasting impression on the field of law and courtsā forĀ The Choices Justice MakeĀ (with Jack Knight) and for āUntangling the Causal Effect of Sex on Judgingā (with Christina Boyd and Andrew D. Martin); the Teaching and Mentoring AwardĀ from the Law and Courts Section of the American Political Science Association for theĀ Constitutional Law for a Changing AmericaĀ series; and theĀ Lifetime Achievement Award,Ā also from the Law and Courts Section of the American Political Science Association.
Professor Epstein teaches courses on constitutional law, judicial behavior, the U.S. Supreme Court, and research design and methods. She won Northwestern University School of Law’sĀ Outstanding First-Year Course Professor Award. At Washington University she was named Professor of the Year by the Undergraduate Political Science Association and received a Faculty of the Year Award from the Student Union. She also received Washington University’sĀ Alumni Board of Governors Distinguished Faculty AwardĀ and theĀ Arthur Holly Compton Faculty Achievement Award.
