Erin Kaheny

Erin Kaheny is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM). She holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of South Carolina (2004), an MA (1998), and a BA in Government from New Mexico State University (1996). Her research focuses on judicial decision-making processes, procedural access to legal systems, and the impact of gender and race on court dynamics. She teaches courses on constitutional law, judicial processes, and law and society.

Her research interests include federal appellate court operations, attorney influence on judicial outcomes, and comparative judicial studies. Notably, her work examines how gender and race shape dissensus in state supreme courts and the role of women attorneys in high-level judicial contexts. She has published extensively in journals such as Social Science Quarterly, Journal of Women, Politics, & Policy, and Canadian Journal of Political Science.

Her teaching portfolio includes courses like POL SCI 250 (Law and Society) and POL SCI 411 (Constitutional Law: Government Powers & Federalism). Her scholarship bridges empirical legal studies and political theory, emphasizing the intersection of institutional structures and social identity in judicial systems.