Rachael Houston, Ph.D.
R.HOUSTON@tcu.edu817-257-5914Scharbauer 2012A (map link)
Program Affiliations
Education
Ph.D., Political Science, University of Minnesota (2022)
MA, Political Science, University of Minnesota (2019)
BA, Political Science and Communication, Coastal Carolina University (2017)
Areas of Focus
Judicial politics, U.S. Supreme Court
Classes Taught
POSC 34013 Constitutional Law: Powers
POSC 34083 Constitutional Law: Rights & Liberties
POSC 34043 Equality Under the Law
POSC 34093 Judicial Politics
POSC 20403 Introduction to Public Law
UNPR 10211 Intro to University Life
- Articles & Essays
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Houston, Rachael and Stephen Earnest. 2025. “Defining the Modern Public Square: A Study of Federal Judicial Interpretations.” University of St. Thomas Journal of Law and Public Policy.
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Bird, Christine, Rachael Houston, and Mary Shieh. 2025. “Ad-Dressing the Bench: The Impact of Interest Group Ads on Partisan Perceptions of Supreme Court Confirmations.”Interest Groups & Advocacy.
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Houston, Rachael and Eve Ringsmuth. 2024. “Case of the Mondays: Examining Media Coverage of Oral Arguments Based on Weekday Selection.” Journal of Law and Courts.
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Sorenson, Maron, Rachael Houston, and Amanda Bryan. 2024. “280 Characters of Contention: Analyzing Partisan Behavior on Twitter During Supreme Court Confirmation Processes.” Journal of Law and Courts.
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Bird, Christine, Rachael Houston, and Mary Shieh. 2024. “From Ads to Action: The Influence of Interest Group Supreme Court Confirmation Advertisements on Political Engagement.” Political Research Quarterly.
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Houston, Rachael. 2024. “A World Outside the Classroom: Evaluating Faculty Attitudes Toward Civic Learning and Engagement.” Journal of Political Science Education.
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Houston, Rachael. 2023. “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?: How the US Supreme Court Defines “Time” Using the Purcell Principle.” Nevada Law Journal, 23(3), 5.
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Houston, Rachael, Siyu Li, and Timothy R. Johnson. 2021. “Learning to Speak Up: Acclimation Effects and Supreme Court Oral Argument.” Justice System Journal. Vol. 42. #1 (February): 1-19.
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- Books
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Houston, Rachael, Johnson Tim, and Ringsmuth, Eve. (2023). “Scotus and Covid: How the Media Reacted to the Livestreaming of Supreme Court Oral Arguments.” Rowman & Littlefield.
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- Southern Political Science Association (SPSA): 2017, 2020, 2023, 2024, 2025
- Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA): 2019, 2021, 2023
- APSA Law and Courts Brown Bag Summer Series: 2021
- Gulf-South Summit on Service Learning and Civic Engagement: 2021
- AASCU’s Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement Conference: 2020
- Midwest Campus Compact Conference: 2019
- American Political Science Association
- Midwestern Political Science Association
- Southern Political Science Association
- Pi Sigma Alpha
Last Updated: June 14, 2025