معرفی
Lee Epstein is the Ethan A.H. Shepley Distinguished University Professor at Washington University in St. Louis, with additional affiliations as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the University of Southern California. She holds a PhD from Emory University and is based in the Department of Political Science. Her research specializes in judicial behavior, constitutional law, and empirical analysis of legal institutions.
Epstein's work examines how judges make decisions, with emphasis on the U.S. Supreme Court, strategic judicial behavior, and the intersection of law and politics. She employs quantitative methods to study topics including gender effects in judging, partisan influences, and the evolution of constitutional rights. Her research consistently bridges legal theory and empirical data.
Her recent publications (2022-2025) demonstrate a strong focus on contemporary judicial issues: partisanship in the Supreme Court, the impact of historical traditions on constitutional interpretation, religious freedom under the Roberts Court, and methodological innovations in empirical legal research. These works reflect her expertise in statistical analysis of judicial trends.
Major Awards & Honors:
- Elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences
- Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Political Science Association
- Pritchett Award for Best Book on Law and Courts
- 12 National Science Foundation grants
- Multiple teaching awards including WashU's Professor of the Year
Epstein leads significant research initiatives as Principal Investigator of the U.S. Supreme Court Database and co-director of the Center for Empirical Research in the Law. She has advised on judicial reforms and frequently collaborates with media outlets like The New York Times to translate empirical findings for public discourse.
