Research

Event examines the courts and the 2020 election

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In a speech early Wednesday morning, President Trump made it clear that the Supreme Court was part of his strategy for winning a second term in office. But can that really work? Are we looking at another Bush v. Gore this year?

The McCourtney Institute for Democracy addressed those questions in a Nov. 6 Zoom question-and-answer session with Michael Nelson, the Jeffrey L. Hyde and Sharon D. Hyde and Political Science Board of Visitors Early Career Professor in Political Science and affiliate faculty at Penn State Law.

During the event, Nelson discussed what the Supreme Court and lower courts can and can’t do to determine the election’s outcome, then took questions from the audience. A recording is available on the McCourtney Institute for Democracy's YouTube channel.

Nelson specializes in American politics, state politics and judicial politics. His research examines the effects of judicial elections, public support for courts and the rule of law in the United States and abroad and the effects of collegiality on judicial behavior.

 

Last Updated November 12, 2020