Welcome!
I am an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Florida Atlantic University (FAU), where I also direct the department’s pre-law advising program. I am a faculty affiliate in Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, the Center for Peace, Justice and Human Rights, and the Americas Initiative.
My research asks how the people who decide cases, and the pressures they work under, shape who wins and loses in American legal institutions. I study judges in administrative and immigration courts, where high caseloads and specialized training make it possible to isolate what drives decisions. My book, How Women Rule: Judicial Empathy and Gender, under contract with NYU Press, argues that empathy explains why female and male judges rule differently in some courts but not others. My current work examines immigration bond hearings, habeas access for people in ICE detention, and how cases reach immigration judges.
I am also a research affiliate of the FAU Political Communication and Public Opinion Research Lab, which conducts national and Florida polling with Mainstreet Research. My analysis of elections, ballot measures, and Latino voters has appeared in The Washington Post, The Hill, and other outlets.
As pre-law director, I advise students through the Wise Owls Pathway, from choosing courses to applying to law school. I also advise FAU’s chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, the political science honor society.
I earned my Ph.D. and M.A. in political science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and my B.A. in political science and communication studies from the University of Texas at El Paso.
Contact
luzmarinagarcia@fau.edu