Dr. Raymond Carman

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Dr. Carman joined the SUNY Plattsburgh Department of Political Science in Fall 2014. Previously, from Fall 2010 to 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. His teaching and research interests include the constitution, courts, judges, and the law.

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 2017, Dr. Carman has served as a member of the SUNY Plattsburgh Faculty Senate’s Executive Committee — from 2017 – 2020 as secretary of the Faculty Senate, from 2020 – 2021 as an additional member of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee, and since 2021 as chair of the Faculty Senate. He represented the political science department in the Faculty Senate from 2015 – 2021. Dr. Carman served on the General Education Committee from 2015 – 2021. During this time, he assisted with creating SUNY Plattsburgh’s new general education program, the Cardinal Core Curriculum; passing the program through the Faculty Senate; and implementing the program. Dr. Carman has served as chair or member of numerous committees, councils, steering committees, task forces, and working groups.

• Education
  • Ph.D. in Political Science, Binghamton University
  • M.A. in Political Science, Binghamton University
  • B.A. in Political Science, Niagara University
• Teaching Areas
  • Courts, judges and politics
  • Introduction to law
  • Legal research and writing
  • Seminar on judicial politics and behavior
  • Sexuality and the law
  • U.S. civil liberties
  • U.S. constitutional law
• Research Areas
  • Courts
  • Constitutional law
  • Federalism
  • Judicial decision-­making and behavior
  • Judicial selection
  • Psychology of judging
  • State politics
• Selected Publications
  • 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).
• Selected Presentations
  • “Diversity on the Federal Courts” at SUNY Plattsburgh’s Social Justice Teach-In, November 7, 2022.
  • “Annual Supreme Court Review, 2021–22 Term Edition: Religion, Guns, and Abortion” at SUNY Plattsburgh’s Alumni Association, August 2, 2022.
  • “Drunk on Power? The Supreme Court’s ‘Shadow Docket” at SUNY Plattsburgh’s Critical Issues Forum, September 27, 2021.
  • “Diversity on the Federal Courts” at the League of Women Voters of the North Country Forum, June 16, 2021.
  • “License to Discriminate? Title VII, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity” for SUNY Plattsburgh’s Alumni Association, May 14, 2020.
  • “Investigations of the Trump Presidency: An Impending Constitutional Crisis?” at SUNY Plattsburgh Critical Issues Forum, November 18, 2019.
  • “Diversity on the Federal Courts” at SUNY Plattsburgh’s Social Justice Teach-In, February 27, 2019.
  • “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.
• Selected Awards
  • Institute for Ethics in Public Life Fellowship, SUNY Plattsburgh, Fall 2020.
  • Fraternity/Sorority Advisor of Excellence Award, SUNY Plattsburgh, Spring 2017.
  • George L. Hinman Doctoral Fellowship in Public Policy, Binghamton University, Fall 2006 – Spring 2010.
  • Pi Sigma Alpha National Political Science Honor Society, Niagara University, Spring 2006.
• Selected Activities
  • Chair, Faculty Senate, SUNY Plattsburgh, Fall 2021 – Present.
  • Chair, Political Science Peer Review Group, SUNY Plattsburgh, Spring 2022 – Present.
  • Member, Academic Council, SUNY Plattsburgh, Fall 2021 – Present.
  • Member, Dean of Arts & Sciences Search Committee, SUNY Plattsburgh, Fall 2021 – Spring 2022.
  • Chair, General Education Structure and Process Subcommittee, SUNY Plattsburgh, Summer 2020.
  • Member, Academic Program and Continuity Working Group, SUNY Plattsburgh, Spring 2020 – Summer 2020.
  • Member, Assessment Advisory Committee, SUNY Plattsburgh, Spring 2020 – Present.
  • Member, President’s Inclusive Excellence Council, SUNY Plattsburgh, Spring 2020 – Present.
  • Chair, Middle States Accreditation Standard III, SUNY Plattsburgh, Fall 2019 – Spring 2022.
  • Member, Middle States Accreditation Steering Committee, SUNY Plattsburgh, Fall 2019 – Spring 2022.
  • Member, Committee on Governance, SUNY University Faculty Senate, Fall 2019 – Spring 2021.
  • Chair, General Education First-Year Subcommittee, SUNY Plattsburgh, Summer 2019.
  • Member, General Education Program Structure Subcommittee, SUNY Plattsburgh, Summer 2019.
  • Secretary, Faculty Senate, SUNY Plattsburgh, Fall 2017 – Present.
  • Chair, General Education Course Review Subcommittee, SUNY Plattsburgh, Fall 2016 – Spring 2018.
  • Member, Teaching Excellence Task Force, SUNY Plattsburgh, Spring 2016 – Spring 2017.
  • Member, Diversity, Pluralism, and Inclusion Task Force, SUNY Plattsburgh, Fall 2015 – Spring 2018.
  • Senator, Faculty Senate, SUNY Plattsburgh, Fall 2015 – Present.
  • Member, General Education Committee, SUNY Plattsburgh, Fall 2015 – Present.
  • Advisor, Epsilon Lambda Chapter, Sigma Tau Gamma Fraternity, SUNY Plattsburgh, Fall 2015 – Present,
  • Advisor, Student Association Constitutional Court, SUNY Plattsburgh, Spring 2015 – Spring 2016.