Robert J. Hume is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Fordham University, with degrees from the College of the Holy Cross (B.A.) and the University of Virginia (M.A., Ph.D.). His research interests are in the areas of constitutional law and judicial policy development, with particular emphasis on the impact of court decisions. His first book, How Courts Impact Federal Administrative Behavior (2009), won the 2010 Alpha Sigma Nu Book Award in Professional Studies. He has also published in American Politics Research, the Law & Society Review, the Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, Justice System Journal, and Publius.

"With lots of footnotes, plenty of charts and graphs, and the expected numbers-crunching, Courtroom Democracy and Minority Rights is clearly intended for fellow academics, grad students, and senior political science majors. However, a general reader can learn plenty from the book." -- Blake Maddux, DigBoston.com

"The state same-sex marriage cases offer lessons about the capacities of state courts to bring about dramatic policy changes (lessons that Hume derives from solid research and skillful analysis of existing and his own original data). In addition, Hume offers a plausible argument that state courts were the catalysts that made same-sex marriage possible." -- Philip A. Dynia, The Law and Politics Book Review