Ali Masood

Ali Masood is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Politics at Oberlin College, affiliated with the College of Arts and Sciences. His work focuses on American political institutions, law, and courts, with an emphasis on how judicial actors interact across hierarchies to shape legal outcomes. He also investigates scandals, partisan polarization, and elite cues influencing public trust in legal institutions like the Supreme Court, FBI, and DOJ.

Education:

• BBA in Economics, University of Georgia
• BA in Political Science, Georgia State University
• MA and PhD in Political Science, University of South Carolina

Research Interests:

• Impact of legal and political institutions
• Judicial policy influence and hierarchical dynamics
• Public perception of legal institutions amid polarization
• Methodological approaches to measurement and causal inference

Grant Support: His research is funded by the National Science Foundation. Recent work explores ideological polarization’s role in Supreme Court decision-making and affective animus’s effect on public support for courts.

Teaching: Courses include constitutional law, civil rights, judicial politics, and Supreme Court simulation.