UMass Amherst Department of Political Science

UMass Amherst Program in Legal Studies

Donald Trump picks his targets carefully and seeks to undermine their legitimacy. AP Photo/Alex Brandon Trump pushes the limits of every restriction he faces

Supreme Bias Gender and Race in U.S. Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings (Book)

Trump’s latest personal attacks on judges could further weaken people’s declining trust in American rule of law

Stephen Breyer is set to retire – should his replacement on the Supreme Court have a term limit?

Trump attacked the Supreme Court again. Here are 4 things to know.

The President and the Supreme Court: Going Public on Judicial Decisions from Washington to Trump (BOOK)

Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings and Constitutional Change (Book)

Located in western Massachusetts, UMass Amherst is the flagship campus of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' five-campus University of Massachusetts system. UMass Amherst is a nationally recognized teaching and research institution with a current enrollment of about 28,500 students.

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Paul M. Collins investigates the factors that shape the selection and decision-making process of U.S. Supreme Court justices and interest group litigation. 

His research and commentary have appeared in a host of popular media outlets, including CNN, the National Law Journal, National Public Radio, The New York Times, New Yorker, San Francisco Chronicle, Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. He has also authored articles in SCOTUSblog, Slate, The Conversation, The New York Daily News and the Washington Post.

Collins has been awarded twice with the C. Herman Pritchett Award from the Law and Courts Section of the American Political Science Association. The awards recognized Collins’ 2023 book “Supreme Bias: Gender and Race in U.S. Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings”  and his 2019 book, “Friends of the Supreme Court: Interest Groups and Judicial Decision Making.”

Bias in Judicial Appointments

Judicial Appointments

Public Law

Inequality in the Legal System

American Politics

Judicial Ethics

Judicial Elections

Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings

UMass Amherst Faculty Profile

Personal Website

The Conversation: Profile and Articles

Amazon Author Page

What would an impeachment of a U.S. Supreme Court Justice look

Supreme Court Justice Asks If City Can Kill Homeless People

trump on trial

Why Trump criminal trial is about more than hush money

Trump’s chances of returning to the White House rest in the hands of the Supreme Court

Court Unveils Ethics Code

“Witnesses lie, recordings don’t”: Ex-prosecutor pinpoints major problem for Trump in new indictment

supreme court

Military interests parachute into Supreme Court cases on LGBTQ rights, elections

Could Supreme Court Justices Be Impeached if They Lied Under Oath?

Confirmation Hearings, Once Focused on Law, Are Now Mired in Politics

Professor of Legal Studies and Political Science / Director of Legal Studies

A 2018 ballot question tasked the Massachusetts Citizens Commission with devising a plan to overturn the 2010 Citizens United ruling. The ruling gives corporations and unions the right to unlimited spending on political campaigns, as long as they do not coordinate directly with the campaign.  

Last month, the Citizens Commision released its first report on overturning Citizens United. For context and analysis, Carrie Saldo spoke with UMass Amherst Professor of Political Science Paul Collins, Jr.

Paul M. Collins

Massachusetts Citizens Commission’s Citizens United Report | Connecting Point | Feb. 17, 2020

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