Augusta University is Georgia's health sciences university and a national center for cyber security education. Home to the state’s only public academic medical center, Augusta’s world-class clinicians are bringing the medicine of tomorrow to patient care today. The university is comprised of nine colleges, including one of the nation's oldest medical schools, the Medical College of Georgia; the Hull College of Business; and the state's only dental school, the Dental College of Georgia.

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Georgia Political Science Association

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Georgia Political Science Association Teaching and Learning Commitee

Telework and Work Flexibility in the United States Federal Government Post-Pandemic

COVID-19 and 2020 presidential election speeches: A content analysis of pandemic campaign rhetoric

Domestic terrorism, incumbency, and legislative vote shares

For whom the poll airs: Comparing poll results to television poll coverage

Vouching for the Court? How High Stakes Affect Knowledge and Support of the Supreme Court

Teaching with Tocqueville: Assessing the Utility of Using “Democracy” in the American Government Classroom to Achieve Student-Learning Outcomes

Examining the Effects of Information, Attorney Capability, and Amicus Participation on US Supreme Court Decision Making

Do judges follow the law when there is no fear of reversal

Ginn is a Professor of Political Science and Public Administration at Augusta University. She earned her PhD in American Politics from the University of South Carolina. Her research interests include judicial decision-making, public opinion of the judiciary, media coverage of elections, and the role of terrorism in voter turnout. Her work has been published in journals such as Public Opinion Quarterly, Journal of Politics, Justice Systems Journal, Political Research Quarterly, and Judicature. Dr. Ginn teaches undergraduate courses on Judicial Process, Constitutional Law, Mock Trial, American Government, and Research Methods. She also teaches courses on Administrative Law and Quantitative Methods in the Master of Public Administration program. She currently serves as the Internship Coordinator and Pre-Law advisor for the Department.

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Here’s another reason not to trust TV news reports about election polls

Why Are Democrats Holding Back on Gorsuch?

The polls aren’t skewed, media coverage is

How Does the Media Choose Which Election Polls to Cover?

Terrorism Charges for Mass Shooters? Experts Are Divided

The current Supreme Court vacancy, and who replaces the late Antonin Scalia, may matter more to Republican voters.

On Monday, the official vetting and nomination process to fill the vacant seat on the Supreme Court left vacant by the sudden passing of Justice Antonin Scalia began. 

Earlier this year, President Trump nominated conservative judge Neil Gorsuch to fill this seat – since then it has been met with much attention and controversy.

Democrats in Washington have promised a detailed vetting and for President Trump’s nominee to expect strong opposition.

But will it matter? Republicans control the Senate. They already have the votes in-hand to ensure as speedy and smooth a process as possible. 

Gorsuch is also viewed by many legal and political experts as a reasonable replacement for the late Scalia. The make-up of the Court won’t be drastically changed at all. Politically, this could offer a great opportunity for Democrats to grandstand and oppose Gorsuch’s past rulings and potential influence on the country as he will be a sitting judge for decades to come. They’ll be heard, but they won’t win.

Or, is this not the hill for Democrats to die on? Like all things in Washington – politics will be at play.

So, what will it mean, how will it play out and what can Americans expect if Gorsuch is finally appointed to America’s highest court?

That’s where the experts at Augusta University can help.

Dr. Martha Ginn is a political expert on the judicial process, constitutional law and the U.S. Supreme Court. She is an associate professor of Political Science at Augusta University and has spoken with media many times regarding the Supreme Court. She is available to speak to this very important issue. Click her icon above to arrange an interview.

To Fight or Fill - Will Democrats Fight or Fold as the Vetting of Neil Gorsuch Begins?

Immigrants facing deportation can be held by the federal government for months or even years without the chance to go to court and seek bail, the court ruled.

Supreme court upholds government power to detain immigrants indefinitely

Legal and illegal immigrants who are facing possible deportation may be held indefinitely without bail, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.

The court overruled a decision by the 9th Circuit Appeals Court that gave detained immigrants the right to a bond hearing every six months. The 5-3 decision affects all immigrants, including asylum seekers and green card holders.

This ruling raises a lot of questions, and our experts can help.

Dr. Martha Ginn, assistant dean of Pamplin College and associate professor of political science, is an expert in Supreme Court decision-making. Her research focuses on how Supreme Court justices make decisions, how information they receive from amicus curiae influences court rulings, and how controversial decisions can affect the court's legitimacy. 

Ginn is available to discuss:

-What factors influence the justice's decision-making process in controversial rulings.
-How public opinion on controversial topics affects the Supreme Court's legitimacy.
-How the definition of "immigrant" in this case may impact Trump's immigration policy.

Immigrants held indefinitely without bail: How will public opinion on immigration affect the Supreme Court's legitimacy?

What we know — and what we don’t know — about john roberts’s position on abortion.

John roberts is the supreme court’s new swing vote. is he going to overturn roe v. wade?

As Brett Kavanaugh, 53, readies himself for a series of heated Senate Judiciary Committee hearings, many have questioned who will take up his mentor’s mantle on the Supreme Court.

For three decades Justice Anthony Kennedy was arguably the most powerful figure in Washington, D.C. Famed for his ability to vote across party lines. Kennedy, who announced his retirement in June, helped shape some of the biggest landmark decisions of the past decade—most notably on the issue of same-sex marriage and LGBTQ rights. As a replacement, Kavanaugh is unlikely to be as magnanimous with his votes.

But will that alter the Court’s direction? 

Only a little, said Dr. Martha Ginn

Ginn, assistant dean of the Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences and associate professor of political science, said Kennedy’s most likely “successor” is already a fixture of the Court: Chief Justice, and occasional swing voter, John Roberts.

“Roberts will likely become the Court’s ‘swing vote’ now that Kennedy’s out,” Ginn said. “While Roberts may move a little more to the center as result, the overall shift will be more conservative.”

A scholar of constitutional law and the Supreme Court, Ginn said the Court’s rightward movement won’t be quite as monumental as pundits have proposed. After all, Kennedy’s votes weren’t always left-leaning. In his last term, he sided with his liberal colleagues not once.
  
“I think one point that is getting lost is that Kennedy was, for the most part, a conservative and voted accordingly,” she said. “There were certain issues where he was more likely to join the liberal wing, most prominently LGBTQ rights, but he voted with the conservative justices the majority of the time.”

Kennedy’s retirement will certainly shift the Court toward the right, Ginn added, but “not to the same degree as if Ruth Bader Ginsburg retired or died in office.”

Meanwhile, as the non-chaos of a Kavanaugh confirmation plays out, Roberts stands to gain as the Court’s new wildcard. Ginn said Roberts’ latest ruling, that law enforcement agencies must obtain warrants to use cell tower data, is a good indication of how he’ll vote as part of a post-Kennedy Court.

“I think the role of Chief Justice Roberts becomes even more significant in a Kennedy-less Court and that hasn’t been given much attention,” she said. “I think both sides are forgetting that Roberts is a bit of wild card too when it comes to voting on very consequential cases.  The one that comes to mind most

Liberals' best hope for a new swing vote is... John Roberts?

how-the-indictments-in-georgia-are-different-for-donald-trump

Former President Donald Trump has now been indicted in a fourth case, the latest in Georgia. Trump and 18 others are being charged over the alleged efforts to overturn his 2020 general election defeat in the state.

Martha Ginn, PhD, professor of political science at Augusta University, is an expert on the judicial process, constitutional law and the U.S. Supreme Court.

 Ginn said this indictment has significant differences compared to the other federal indictments.

“First, the federal indictment on the matters related to the Jan. 6 insurrection named only former President Donald Trump, and was much more narrowly focused,” Ginn said. "The assumption is that was intentional to expedite that trial. The federal indictment for the classified documents was a little broader in terms of charges and had a few named co-defendants. The Georgia indictment is fairly sweeping, both in terms of charges and the number of people indicted. There are many possible implications from the breadth of this indictment.”  She added while the district attorney in the case wants the trial to begin within six months, so many defendants filing various legal motions can slow things down. 

Also, Ginn said with this many people involved, there’s a chance one or more will take plea deals and change the dynamics of the trail altogether.

 Since Trump is facing more than one trial, how the legal process plays out in regard to the calendar could be dictated by which case is ready to proceed first.

Ginn said theoretically, all these prosecutions should operate independently and should not be coordinating with each other on any matters, even with regard to scheduling.

That’s easier said than done since this is an unprecedented scenario, with Trump facing two federal indictments and two state indictments in different states.

“Some level of coordination is going to have to be done. This will likely come down to two factors. First, which prosecutor is ready to go first. This might be the Jan. 6 federal prosecution since it is the simplest one. The second factor will be how former President Trump’s lawyers handle requests for delays, given the other cases and the upcoming election. I would assume once one trial begins, other judges will feel pressure to grant continuances for their trials until after that one concludes,” Ginn said.  Martha Ginn, PhD, professor of political science at Augusta University, is an expert on the judicial process, constitutional law and the U.S. Supreme Court. Ginn is available to speak with media about this topic — simply click on her icon to arrange an interview today.


How the indictments in Georgia are different for Donald Trump

covering-scotus-our-experts-are-ready-to-help-with-your-stories

It's looking like the next couple weeks could be busy and monumental for any reporter covering the Supreme Court.

Important decisions are coming down regarding abortion, environmental protections, gun laws and more.

 It will be a busy news week; if you are a reporter the time is now to line up your expert sources and key contacts.

 If you are a journalist covering the Supreme Court and how these decisions are impacting American life and politics, that’s where Augusta University can help.

 Dr. Martha Ginn, professor of political science at Augusta University, is an expert on the judicial process, constitutional law and the U.S. Supreme Court. Dr. Ginn is available to speak with media about this topic — simply click on her icon to arrange an interview today.


Covering SCOTUS? Our experts are ready to help with your stories


ketanji-brown-jackson-could-be-the-first-black-woman-to-sit-on-the-supreme-court-augusta-university-experts-can-answer-your-questions

It’s official — President Biden has selected Ketanji Brown Jackson as his nominee to the Supreme Court.

If confirmed, she will the first Black woman to sit on the highest court in the nation.

 This is a momentous occasion for American history and reporters are clamoring to learn more.  Our experts are ready with answers to help with your stories.

Dr. Martha Ginn, professor of political science at Augusta University, is an expert on the judicial process, constitutional law and the U.S. Supreme Court. She discussed Jackson's credentials and the significance of her nomination.

What is Ketanji Brown Jackson’s background and what credentials would bring to the Supreme Court? Why is she President Biden's top choice? President Biden made a campaign promise to nominate a Black woman to the SCOTUS if he had a vacancy to fill. While he had several strong contenders, Judge Brown Jackson is an obvious choice for many reasons.  Like all current Justices, excluding Justice Barrett, Judge Brown Jackson has an Ivy League education. She has also clerked at the Supreme Court for Justice Breyer (whom she would replace).  Interestingly, Justice Kavanaugh clerked for the Justice he replaced (Justice Kennedy) as well.  Background and experience: Judge Brown Jackson was a federal district court judge for eight years (appointed by President Obama) and was just confirmed to the DC Court of Appeals last summer. The DC circuit court is seen as a training ground of sorts for Supreme Court Justices, as many nominees serve there first. What makes Judge Brown Jackson different is her experience as a public defender and then vice chairman of the sentencing commission. Bringing that experience to the Court will provide a much needed perspective on the rights of the accused. The Court recently heard a case regarding implementing the First Steps Act retroactively and it was apparent in the oral argument that some Justices did not appreciate the realities and complexities of sentencing in our criminal justice system. Judge Brown Jackson’s background will help fill that void.    What does her appointment signify, seeing as she would be the first Black woman (but only third Black justice) in the history of the Supreme Court, as well as the first former public defender? Having four women on the Court at the same time will be important. More women than men attend law school now but the higher ranks of the profession are still male dominated, so having near parity in the nation’s highest Court is meaningful. Her race is also significant, since she will be only the third Black member of the Court and this would be the first time we have two Black members serving together.  It’s likely she and Justice Thomas will be very different ideologically but regardless, demographic representation matters. More than ever the Supreme Court is deciding very controversial matters that impact everyone. Having a Court that represents all voices is significant in maintaining its legitimacy and making sure opposing viewpoints are considered in decision-making.   With everything going on currently the nation and world, when do you project a vote will happen, and do you see it going through? Even with all that is going on in the world right now, this will be a top priority to the Democratic Party, particularly with President Biden’s low polling numbers and the upcoming midterm elections.  With the slimmest of voting margins possible, the sooner the vote occurs, the better for the Democrats. The Republicans set the precedent with the Barrett nomination that the process can be done in weeks rather than the months taken in previous nominations. I anticipate the Democrats will follow that expedited model. It will be interesting to see if the three Republican senators who voted for her Court of Appeals appointment less than a year ago will oppose her nomination here.  Justice Breyer conditioned his retirement on the successful appointment of his replacement. He intends to retire at the end of this year’s term (likely early July), so I would anticipate her confirmation vote by then at the latest.    If you are a journalist covering this story, that’s where our experts on this topic can help.


Dr. Martha Ginn, professor of political science at Augusta University, is an expert on the judicial process, constitutional law and the U.S. Supreme Court. Ginn is available to speak with media about this topic — simply click on her icon to arrange an interview today.




Ketanji Brown Jackson could be the first Black woman to sit on the Supreme Court. Augusta University experts can answer your questions

Professor

The Jagwire crew sat down with Dr. Martha Ginn, associate professor of political science, to discuss the Supreme Court vacancy.