Santa Clara University - Political Science
PhD
Political Science
BA
Political Science
Pi Sigma Alpha
Honors Program
College Scholar
Student Advocates for Education (SAFE)
Creator/Programmer of \"Nighthawks at the Diner\" every Wednesday from 11pm to 1am.
KEOS 89.1 FM
College Station/Bryan
TX
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The Circus is in Town: Congressional Hearings as a Side-Show Spectacle
As part of a series on \"great debates\" in American politics
this essay argues that congressional hearings have become a wasteful exercise in political theater
rather than a genuine tool for governmental oversight.
The Circus is in Town: Congressional Hearings as a Side-Show Spectacle
Book review of Agenda Crossover
by Sarah Treul: \"The theory of “agenda crossover” represents a significant contribution to our understanding of legislative politics
and calls our attention to the generally overlooked importance of state delegations on legislative behavior. Agenda crossover occurs when re-election-minded legislators look to members of their state delegation in the other chamber for policy ideas to use in their own bill sponsorship activity. Treul does not discount the tremendous importance of party influence on the behavior of individual legislators; however
she persuasively demonstrates that strategic
re-election-minded members of Congress are significantly influenced by fellow members of their state delegation
even
in some cases
those of the opposite party.\"
Treul
Sarah A. Agenda Crossover: The Influence of State Delegations in Congress [Book Review]
Who published the one book on government in 2013 that conservative firebrand Newt Gingrich told all true believers that they should read? Well
the author is now lieutenant governor of California. Before that
he was mayor of San Francisco. That’s right: It’s Gavin Newsom ’89.
Welcome to Citizenville
Terri Peretti
Widespread public mistrust of legislative redistricting begs the question: Can (presumably) neutral and independent courts produce more competitive districts that preserve the integrity of the democratic process? The regime politics perspective suggests not
portraying courts as partisan collaborators whose rulings help their regime allies in the other branches. Conversely
recent congressional elections research suggests that non-legislative approaches to redistricting (such as independent commissions) encourage experienced candidates to mount serious electoral challenges to incumbents. We extend this literature by focusing on the impact of judicial participation in the redistricting process. Using data for the 2000 apportionment cycle
we test whether judicial redistricting enhances the competitiveness of congressional elections
as some studies suggest
or if it instead serves to promote the interests of the party with which the judge is affiliated
as the regime politics literature would lead us to believe. Our findings suggest that judicial redistricting does enhance competition in congressional elections
but we fail to find evidence that it confers any partisan advantage.
Gerrymandering from the Bench? The Electoral Consequences of Judicial Redistricting
Growing concern over gerrymandering has led some states to transfer redistricting responsibility from legislatures to commissions
boards
or other less overtly partisan bodies. These transfers in redistricting responsibility offer scholars an opportunity to study the impact of redistricting processes on elections. This study
focusing on congressional elections for the years 1982–2008
suggests that non-legislative methods of redistricting encouraged strong
well-financed challengers to step forward
and decreased the likelihood that incumbents would run unopposed. The data
however
do not show that non-legislative redistricting either reduced the typical margins of incumbents’ victories or increased the likelihood that incumbents would lose. In fact
the data sometimes run contrary to expectations. This raises questions about the common contention (especially by reformers) that non-legislative approaches (NLA) will promote turnover of elected officials. The benefits of non-legislative redistricting depend both on the types of outcomes that are desired
and on the specific NLA that is adopted.
The Effects of Non-Legislative Approaches to Redistricting on Competition in Congressional Elections
Shoua Yang
Steven Wagner
Shawn Schooley
Forty-two years ago
two Minnesota political scientists concluded that “too little has been written and regularly published about the whys and ways of Minnesota’s political processes” (Gieske and Brandt 1977). The result of that conclusion was the preparation of Perspectives on Minnesota Government and Politics published in 1977. The original editors
Professors Gieske and Brandt
brought together political scientists across Minnesota and teaching at many college and university campuses to write about and explain the structure and institutions of Minnesota government
the input channels of Minnesota government and politics
and selected public policies in Minnesota. Over the years the editors changed
as did authors of the chapters. Two constants always existed: the texts informed college students in Minnesota about the workings of Minnesota government and politics and the text was on printed paper.\n\nToday
Professors James Cottrill
Shawn Schooley
Steven Wagner
and Shoua Yang have produced and presented to you a new and much-changed version of the original text. The editors see this text as a fresh start and have named the text
Minnesota Government and Politics. Consistent with our modern times
the text is now electronic. Reaching back to the old days
the new text is committed to inform Minnesota college students about the whys and ways of the Minnesota government and politics. That said
the first section of the text focuses on the Minnesota Constitution
Legislature
Governor
Bureaucracy
and Local Governments. The second section offers readers insights into various “input channels” of Minnesota Politics
including chapters on public opinion
minority politics
campaign finance
rural politics
and women in politics. The third section focuses on public policies in Minnesota and includes discussion of public safety
emergency management
healthcare
the environment
and budgeting and taxation.
Minnesota Government and Politics
Terri Peretti
A sizable literature has explored the growth of partisan polarization in Congress and its impact on legislative behavior. Using this lens
we provide empirical analysis of the role of parties in more than seven decades of Supreme Court confirmation voting and offer several original findings. First
we offer new evidence that the strength of the president’s party in the state’s electorate has significantly and increasingly affected senators’ votes. We also find that
since the mid-1980s
partisanship and ideology have become dominant influences in confirmation voting
while nominee qualifications and presidential strength have declined in importance. Finally
our evidence shows that polarization has more strongly affected opposite-party senators and Republican senators
who have become much more inclined to unite against the judicial nominees of presidents belonging to the other party. We hope these findings contribute to a much-needed dialogue between the judicial politics and congressional behavior literatures and encourage a stronger scholarly focus on interbranch partisan strategies.
The Partisan Dynamics of Supreme Court Confirmation Voting
As part of a series on \"great debates\" in American politics
this essay makes a case for the position that \"executive orders are unconstitutional.\"
Unchecked Ambition: The Unconstitutional Nature of Executive Orders
Jim
Santa Clara University
Texas A&M University
St Cloud State University Survey Research Center
St. Cloud State University
Teaching and research on American political institutions and processes.
Texas A&M University
Assistant Professor
Teaching and research on American political institutions and processes
and media commentary on American politics.
Santa Clara University
Lecturer
Teaching and research on American political institutions and processes
and media commentary on American politics.
Santa Clara University
St. Cloud State University
St. Cloud
Minnesota Area
Associate Professor
St. Cloud
Minnesota Area
Teaching and research on American political institutions and processes.
Assistant Professor
St. Cloud State University
101 Stewart Hall
Public opinion data collection and analysis for university
state government
and non-profit clients; Training of students in computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI) technology and survey research methodology; Training of student directors in question development and analysis of opinion data.
Faculty Co-Director
St Cloud State University Survey Research Center
American Political Science Association
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