Dr. Carman joined the SUNY Plattsburgh Department of Political Science in Fall 2014.
Previously, from Fall 2010 – Spring 2014, he was a Visiting Instructor of Political
Science at Lycoming College in Williamsport, PA. Dr. Carman earned his Ph.D. from
Binghamton University, where he specialized in American Politics, generally, and the
courts, in particular.
Dr. Carman’s book, Making Good Law or Good Policy?: The Causes and Effects of State Supreme Court Judges’
Role Orientations, draws from political science and social psychology in order to examine the effect
that judicial role orientations — or judges’ beliefs about what should properly be
allowed to influence their decisions — has on judicial decision-making. Data for the
project, in part, comes from a nationwide survey of the entire population of state
supreme court judges.
Since Fall 2015, Dr. Carman has served as the advisor for the Epsilon Lambda Chapter
of the Sigma Tau Gamma Fraternity, for which he received the Fraternity/Sorority Advisor
of Excellence Award in Spring 2017. He has also served as the advisor for the Student
Association Constitutional Court; as a chair or member of various committees, subcommittees,
and task forces; as a faculty senator; and as the secretary of the Faculty Senate.
Making Good Law or Good Policy?: The Causes and Effects of State Supreme Court Judges’
Role Orientations (Springer, 2017).
“Yes… Yes… All Your ‘Rights’ As Defined By the Cardassian Articles of Jurisprudence
Will Be Protected: Civil Liberties in Star Trek Deep Space Nine” in Poli Sci Fi: An Introduction to Political Science through Science Fiction (Routledge, 2016).
“The New Justice on the Bloc: Acclimation Effects Revisited” at the Annual Meeting
of the Midwest Political Science Association, April 5 – 8, 2018.
“Diversity on the Federal Courts” at SUNY Plattsburgh’s Diversity Week, February 27,
2017.
“Equality Through Marriage” at Lycoming College, April 6, 2016.
“State High Court Judges as Role Occupants: The Effects of Role Orientation on Judicial
Behavior” at the Annual Meeting of the New York State Political Science Association,
April 10 – 11, 2015.
“Court of Last Resort Judges as Role Occupants: Exploring Judicial Role Orientations
and Their Determinants” at the Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association,
April 11 – 14, 2013.
“Court of Last Resort Judges as Role Occupants: Determining the Causes of Role Orientation”
at the Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, April 12 – 15,
2012.
“The Acclimation Effect Revisited” at the Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political
Science Association, April 3 – 6, 2008.
“The New Dissent: An Analysis of State Court LGBT Decisions” (with Peter Joseph Baxter)
at the Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, April 3 – 6, 2008.
“Parties as Mobilizers: Party Efforts to Get Out the Vote in 2000 and 2004” (with
Ian M. Farrell, and Jonathan Krasno) at the Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political
Science Association, April 3 – 6, 2008.
“Voting Variability: Temporary and Regular Newcomers on the U.S. Courts of Appeals”
(with Paul M. Collins, Jr., and Wendy L. Martinek) at the Annual Meeting of the Southern
Political Science Association, January 9 – 12, 2008.
