Ali Masood

Biography

Ali Masood is an assistant professor of politics and law & society at Oberlin College. His research focuses on American political institutions, particularly law and courts. Broadly, his work centers on the impact of legal and political institutions. He aims to provide a better understanding of the complex ways in which judicial actors at various levels of the judiciary interact to shape legal and policy outcomes. His research also explores how scandals, partisan polarization, and elite cues shape public perceptions of legal institutions, including the U.S. Supreme Court, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Justice.

Masood is working on several projects, including how ideological polarization impacts decision-making in the U.S. Supreme Court as well as how affective animus shapes public support for the Court and its decisions.

His research is supported by the National Science Foundation and has been published or is forthcoming in American Politics Research, Journal of Law and Courts, Law & Social Inquiry, Political Research Quarterly, Politics, Groups, and Identities, PS: Political Science & Politics, and Social Science Quarterly.

He teaches courses on civil rights and civil liberties, constitutional law, judicial politics, judicial simulation, and a research seminar on the U.S. Supreme Court.