Research Interests

Congressional elections, redistricting, and the success of women candidates; the role of women in the judiciary; strategic decision-making on the Supreme Court

Selected Publications

• Breaking the Political Glass Ceiling, 2 nd edition, co-authored with Dennis Simon, Routledge Press, 2008.
• “Breaking the Political Glass Ceiling: Incumbency, Redistricting, and the Success of Women Candidates,” co-authored with Dennis Simon, Thomas Jefferson Law Review, 2008.
• Encyclopedia Entries on Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and Representative Jeannette Rankin, Encyclopedia of Women in World History, Oxford University Press, 2007.
• “When Women Run Against Women: The Hidden Influence of Female Incumbents in Elections to the US House of Representatives, 1956-2002,” co-authored with Dennis Simon, Politics and Gender, 2005.
• “Justice Sandra Day O’Connor: The World’s Most Powerful Jurist?” co-authored with Diane Lowenthal. MARGINS Law Journal ( University of Maryland School of Law), 2005.
• “Political Ambition and Women in the U.S. House of Representatives, 1916-2000,” co-authored with Dennis Simon. Political Research Quarterly, 2003.
• “The Bermuda Triangle? The Cert Pool and its Influence over the Supreme Court’s Agenda,” Constitutional Commentary, 2001.

Professional Presentations

• “Women, Third Parties, and Congressional Elections, 1916-2006.” Virginia Social Science Association Annual Meeting, Lexington, VA, April, 2008.
• “Breaking the Political Glass Ceiling: Incumbency, Redistricting, and the Success of Women Candidates.” Ruth Bader Ginsburg Lecture, Eight Annual Women and Law Conference, Thomas Jefferson School of Law and The Women and Law Project, San Diego, February, 2008.
• “Women and Elections to the U.S. House of Representatives: The Midterm Elections of 1994 and 2006.” Co-presented with Dennis Simon at the Southern Political Science Association Annual Meeting, New Orleans, January, 2008.
• “The Political Geography of Women-Friendly Congressional Districts.” Co-presented with Dennis Simon at the Southern Political Science Association Annual Meeting, New Orleans, January, 2005.
• “Justice Sandra Day O’Connor: The World’s Most Powerful Jurist?” Co-presented with Diane Lowenthal at the Town Hall Meeting of MARGINS Law Journal of the University of Maryland School of Law, “The Sway of the Swing Vote: Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and Her Influence on Issues of Race, Religion, Gender and Class,” Baltimore, October, 2004.
• “Women-Friendly Districts and Elections to the U.S. House of Representatives, 1956-2002.” Co-presented with Dennis Simon at the Southwest Political Science Association Annual Meeting, Corpus Christi, March, 2004.
• “Women in the Political Hierarchy: A Time Series Analysis.” Co-presented with Dennis Simon at the Southern Political Science Association Annual Meeting, New Orleans, January, 2004.
• “The Replacements: Gender, Party and Policy Impact in the U.S. House of Representatives.” Co-presented with Dennis Simon at the Southwestern Political Science Association Annual Meeting, New Orleans, March, 2002.
• “Conversational Dynamics During Oral Arguments Before the Supreme Court: Does Gender Play a Role?” Co-presented with Meri Barr and Elizabeth Kearns at the Midwest Political Science Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, April, 2002.
• “The European Court of Justice and the U.S. Supreme Court: Agenda Setting Mechanisms on Constitutional Courts.” Co-presented with Stacy Nyikos at the Midwest Political Science Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, 2001.

Work In Progress

• Breaking the Political Glass Ceiling: Women and Congressional Elections, 3 nd edition . Co-authored with Dennis Simon. Routledge Press. Forthcoming, 2012.
• “The Rule of Four and Strategic Voting on the U.S. Supreme Court.” Article-length manuscript.
• “Women, Third Parties, and Congressional Elections, 1916-2006.” Co-authored with Dennis Simon. Article-length manuscript.

Honors, Awards, and Fellowships

• Alice Paul Award, presented to an American University faculty member who personifies the spirit of Alice Paul in her teaching, research, and service, March 2005.
• Marian Irish Award for Best Paper on Women & Politics presented at the 2000 Annual Meeting of the Southern Political Science Association: “Filling the Pipeline: Women and the Political Hierarchy, 1956-1998.” Co-authored with Dennis Simon.
• Mortar Board Senior Honor Society Faculty Appreciation Award , Fall 1998

Grants and Sponsored Research

• Faculty Curriculum Development Grant, 2007.
• Washington Semester Summer Research Grant, 2003, 2004, and 2005.

Media Appearances

• Die Zeit Online (Germany), March 6, 2008
• Women’s eNews, March 14, 2008
• Sky News (Great Britain), April 7, 2008
• Swedish Broadcasting Corporation, May 21, 2008
• MF Dens (Czech Republic), Sept 18, 2008
• Wall Street Journal, September 24, 2008
• Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 26, 2008
• Las Vegas Sun, October 13, 2008
• Politics Magazine (formerly Campaigns and Elections), November 7. 2008
• Toronto Star, November 6, 2008
• Agence France-Presse, November 7, 2008