William D Blake
Biographic Data
| ID | 1113162 |
|---|---|
| NAME | William D Blake |
| GIVEN NAMES | William D |
| FAMILY NAME | Blake |
| SIGNATURE | BLAKE W D |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Maryland, Baltimore County |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-0538-6104 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 11 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 15 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 11 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1966 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Social Capital, Institutional Rules, and Constitutional Amendment Rates
Why are some constitutions amended more frequently than others? The literature provides few clear answers, as some scholars focus on institutional factors, whereas others emphasize amendment culture. We bridge this divide with new theoretical and empirical insights. Using data from democratic constitutions worldwide and U.S. state constitutions, we examine how social capital reduces the transaction costs imposed by amendment rules. The results in…
Risk and Reform: Explaining Support for Constitutional Convention Referendums
Scholars of comparative constitution-making and direct democracy agree that economic conditions affect public support for constitutional reform but disagree as to how. Prospect theory suggests both approaches may be correct, depending on the political and economic context in which voters operate. Fourteen states periodically ask their citizens whether to call a state constitutional convention, making this the oldest form of direct democracy in th…
American Constitutional Faith and the Politics of Hermeneutics
As more debates in American politics become constitutional questions, effective citizens must engage in constitutional interpretation. While most Americans venerate the Constitution as a part of a national, civil religion, levels of constitutional knowledge are also very low. In this paper, we analyze how ordinary Americans approach the task of constitutional interpretation. An analysis of two cross-sectional surveys indicates constitutional herm…
“One Difficulty…of a Serious Nature”: The Overlooked Racial Dynamics of the Electoral College
This paper explores the racial origins and legacy of the Electoral College through historical and quantitative analyses. At the Constitutional Convention, the Electoral College served the interests of Southern slaveowners by perpetuating the advantage of the Three-Fifths Compromise. Following Reconstruction, Southern states that disenfranchised African Americans received an even larger voice in the Electoral College. Republicans tried to counter …
The Law “Justice Under the Constitution, Not Over It”: Public Perceptions of FDR’s Court‐Packing Plan
This article presents the first cross‐sectional analysis of attitudes toward Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Court‐packing plan and seeks to evaluate whether citizens viewed this episode through a partisan or constitutional lens. While public opinion opposed the Supreme Court’s invalidation of the New Deal, most Americans also opposed Court packing as a means to resolve this constitutional conflict. Instead, the analysis finds significantly more supp…
Seasonal Affective Disorder: Clerk Training and the Success of Supreme Court Certiorari Petitions
We investigate why the Supreme Court grants a smaller percentage of cases at the first conference of each term compared to other conferences. According to received wisdom, Supreme Court law clerks are overly cautious at the beginning of their tenure because they receive only a brief amount of training. Reputational concerns motivate clerks to provide fewer recommendations to grant review in cert. pool memos written over the summer months. Using a…
The Politics of Denying Communion to Catholic Elected Officials
In his 2004 presidential campaign, John Kerry, a Catholic, was threatened with being denied Holy Communion because of his pro-choice voting record. This article investigates the extent to which communion denial impacted Catholic elected officials and analyzes public attitudes regarding communion denial for Kerry. The results of our analysis suggest that, despite heavy media coverage, few bishops endorsed the communion denial and few pro-choice Ca…
Pyrrhic Victories: How the Secularization Doctrine Undermines the Sanctity of Religion
The Supreme Court has sanctioned displays of Christian crèches,1 Jewish menorahs,2 and the Judeo-Christian Ten Commandments.3 Lower courts have rejected Establishment Clause claims against the display of the Latin cross on public property.4 All of these decisions justify the inclusion of religious symbols in public venues on the grounds that they are not actually religious. Though this rationale seems to embrace a bizarre contradiction, federal c…
Umpires as Legal Realists
During his confirmation hearings, then-judge John Roberts analogized the role of a judge to the role of a baseball umpire. Roberts argued that umpires do not make the rules; they simply apply them. Legal scholars have criticized Roberts from a legal realist perspective because the analogy misconstrues the nature of judging as formalistic. I believe Roberts also misconstrued the nature of umpiring as formalistic. Like judges, umpires must rely on …
God Save This Honorable Court: Religion as a Source of Judicial Policy Preferences
If Supreme Court behavior is structured largely by the policy preferences of the justices, political scientists ought to consider the source of those preferences. Religion is one force that can strongly shape a judge’s worldview and therefore her or his votes. In this article, the author examines the effect of religion on U.S. Supreme Court votes in eleven issue areas plausibly connected to religious values. Catholic justices vote in ways that mo…
Homer William Smith, Sc.D. His Scientific and Literary Achievements . Herbert Chasis , William Goldring , Homer William Smith
God Save This Honorable Court: Religion as a Source of Judicial Policy Preferences
If Supreme Court behavior is structured largely by the policy preferences of the justices, political scientists ought to consider the source of those preferences. Religion is one force that can strongly shape a judge’s worldview and therefore her or his votes. In this article, the author examines the effect of religion on U.S. Supreme Court votes in eleven issue areas plausibly connected to religious values. Catholic justices vote in ways that mo…
Risk and Reform: Explaining Support for Constitutional Convention Referendums
Scholars of comparative constitution-making and direct democracy agree that economic conditions affect public support for constitutional reform but disagree as to how. Prospect theory suggests both approaches may be correct, depending on the political and economic context in which voters operate. Fourteen states periodically ask their citizens whether to call a state constitutional convention, making this the oldest form of direct democracy in th…
Social Capital, Institutional Rules, and Constitutional Amendment Rates
Why are some constitutions amended more frequently than others? The literature provides few clear answers, as some scholars focus on institutional factors, whereas others emphasize amendment culture. We bridge this divide with new theoretical and empirical insights. Using data from democratic constitutions worldwide and U.S. state constitutions, we examine how social capital reduces the transaction costs imposed by amendment rules. The results in…
American Constitutional Faith and the Politics of Hermeneutics
As more debates in American politics become constitutional questions, effective citizens must engage in constitutional interpretation. While most Americans venerate the Constitution as a part of a national, civil religion, levels of constitutional knowledge are also very low. In this paper, we analyze how ordinary Americans approach the task of constitutional interpretation. An analysis of two cross-sectional surveys indicates constitutional herm…
Seasonal Affective Disorder: Clerk Training and the Success of Supreme Court Certiorari Petitions
We investigate why the Supreme Court grants a smaller percentage of cases at the first conference of each term compared to other conferences. According to received wisdom, Supreme Court law clerks are overly cautious at the beginning of their tenure because they receive only a brief amount of training. Reputational concerns motivate clerks to provide fewer recommendations to grant review in cert. pool memos written over the summer months. Using a…
Homer William Smith, Sc.D. His Scientific and Literary Achievements . Herbert Chasis , William Goldring , Homer William Smith
Umpires as Legal Realists
During his confirmation hearings, then-judge John Roberts analogized the role of a judge to the role of a baseball umpire. Roberts argued that umpires do not make the rules; they simply apply them. Legal scholars have criticized Roberts from a legal realist perspective because the analogy misconstrues the nature of judging as formalistic. I believe Roberts also misconstrued the nature of umpiring as formalistic. Like judges, umpires must rely on …
God Save This Honorable Court: Religion as a Source of Judicial Policy Preferences
If Supreme Court behavior is structured largely by the policy preferences of the justices, political scientists ought to consider the source of those preferences. Religion is one force that can strongly shape a judge’s worldview and therefore her or his votes. In this article, the author examines the effect of religion on U.S. Supreme Court votes in eleven issue areas plausibly connected to religious values. Catholic justices vote in ways that mo…
The Politics of Denying Communion to Catholic Elected Officials
In his 2004 presidential campaign, John Kerry, a Catholic, was threatened with being denied Holy Communion because of his pro-choice voting record. This article investigates the extent to which communion denial impacted Catholic elected officials and analyzes public attitudes regarding communion denial for Kerry. The results of our analysis suggest that, despite heavy media coverage, few bishops endorsed the communion denial and few pro-choice Ca…
Pyrrhic Victories: How the Secularization Doctrine Undermines the Sanctity of Religion
The Supreme Court has sanctioned displays of Christian crèches,1 Jewish menorahs,2 and the Judeo-Christian Ten Commandments.3 Lower courts have rejected Establishment Clause claims against the display of the Latin cross on public property.4 All of these decisions justify the inclusion of religious symbols in public venues on the grounds that they are not actually religious. Though this rationale seems to embrace a bizarre contradiction, federal c…
Seasonal Affective Disorder: Clerk Training and the Success of Supreme Court Certiorari Petitions
We investigate why the Supreme Court grants a smaller percentage of cases at the first conference of each term compared to other conferences. According to received wisdom, Supreme Court law clerks are overly cautious at the beginning of their tenure because they receive only a brief amount of training. Reputational concerns motivate clerks to provide fewer recommendations to grant review in cert. pool memos written over the summer months. Using a…
“One Difficulty…of a Serious Nature”: The Overlooked Racial Dynamics of the Electoral College
This paper explores the racial origins and legacy of the Electoral College through historical and quantitative analyses. At the Constitutional Convention, the Electoral College served the interests of Southern slaveowners by perpetuating the advantage of the Three-Fifths Compromise. Following Reconstruction, Southern states that disenfranchised African Americans received an even larger voice in the Electoral College. Republicans tried to counter …
The Law “Justice Under the Constitution, Not Over It”: Public Perceptions of FDR’s Court‐Packing Plan
This article presents the first cross‐sectional analysis of attitudes toward Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Court‐packing plan and seeks to evaluate whether citizens viewed this episode through a partisan or constitutional lens. While public opinion opposed the Supreme Court’s invalidation of the New Deal, most Americans also opposed Court packing as a means to resolve this constitutional conflict. Instead, the analysis finds significantly more supp…
Risk and Reform: Explaining Support for Constitutional Convention Referendums
Scholars of comparative constitution-making and direct democracy agree that economic conditions affect public support for constitutional reform but disagree as to how. Prospect theory suggests both approaches may be correct, depending on the political and economic context in which voters operate. Fourteen states periodically ask their citizens whether to call a state constitutional convention, making this the oldest form of direct democracy in th…
American Constitutional Faith and the Politics of Hermeneutics
As more debates in American politics become constitutional questions, effective citizens must engage in constitutional interpretation. While most Americans venerate the Constitution as a part of a national, civil religion, levels of constitutional knowledge are also very low. In this paper, we analyze how ordinary Americans approach the task of constitutional interpretation. An analysis of two cross-sectional surveys indicates constitutional herm…
Social Capital, Institutional Rules, and Constitutional Amendment Rates
Why are some constitutions amended more frequently than others? The literature provides few clear answers, as some scholars focus on institutional factors, whereas others emphasize amendment culture. We bridge this divide with new theoretical and empirical insights. Using data from democratic constitutions worldwide and U.S. state constitutions, we examine how social capital reduces the transaction costs imposed by amendment rules. The results in…
Law (10 works) · Political science (10 works) · Law (8 works) · Politics (8 works) · Judicial and Constitutional Studies (7 works) · Sociology (7 works) · American Constitutional Law and Politics (6 works) · Electoral Systems and Political Participation (6 works) · Philosophy (5 works) · Democracy (4 works)