Headshot of Elisha Savchak-Trogdon

Elisha Savchak-Trogdon

Associate Professor of Political Science and Public Policy

Department: Political Science and Public Policy

Office and address: Gray Pavilion - Pol. Science, office 101A 2333 Campus Box Elon, NC 27244

Phone number: (336) 278-5796

Professional Expertise

Courts and judicial politics; American federal and state appellate courts; American politics and political instititutions.

Brief Biography

Dr. Elisha Savchak-Trogdon joined the Department of Political Science and Policy Studies in 2015. After graduating from the University of North Carolina - Greensboro with her B.A. in 2002, she continued her studies at the University of South Carolina and completed her Ph.D. in political science in 2009. Dr. Savchak-Trogdon teaches courses related to law and courts and American politics, as well as courses within the Core Curriculum. Her research and teaching interests center around state and federal judicial behavior and institutions, including judicial selection and career paths, the decisionmaking and opinion writing processes, and the judicial role and outreach activities.

    Education

    Ph.D., University of South Carolina, Political Science, 2009

    B.A., University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Political Science, 2002 (with honors), Phi Beta Kappa

     

    Courses Taught

    POL 1110: American Government

    POL 3230: Constitutional Law

    POL 3240: Civil Liberties

    POL 3270: The Supreme Court

    POL 3700: Law & Popular Culture

    COR 1100: The Global Experience

    COR 3550: Law, Politics & Society

    ELON 1010: The First-Year Advising Seminar

     

    Leadership Positions

    Legal Professions Coordinator, August 2015 to present.

    Director, Legal Professions Scholars cohort, 2018 to present.

    Publications

    Forthcoming. Bowie, Jennifer, Ali Masood, Elisha Carol Savchak, Susan W. Johnson, Lauren Oligino, and Adam Webster. “A Bottom-up Approach to Lower Court Influence on the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom,” In Research Handbook of Judicial Politics, eds. Michael Fix and Matthew Montgomery. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar.

    2023. Bowie, Jennifer, Ali S. Masood, Elisha Carol Savchak, Natalie Smith, Bianca Wieck, Cameron Abrams, and Meghna Melkote. “Lower Court Influence on High Courts: Evidence from the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.” Journal of Law and Courts 1-22.

    2022. Bowie, Jennifer, and Elisha Carol Savchak. "State Court Influence on U.S. Supreme Court Opinions.” Journal of Law and Courts 20(Spring):139-165.

    2019. Bowie, Jennifer Barnes, and Elisha Carol Savchak. "Understanding the Determinants of Opinion Language Borrowing in State Courts." In Researhc Handbook of Law and Courts, eds. Lee Walker and Susan Sterett. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar.

    2016. Savchak, Elisha Carol, and Amanda Ross Edwards. “Why Are State Judges Among Us? Public Service and Self-Presentation.” Judicature 100(2):21-29.

    2016. Savchak, Elisha Carol, and Jennifer Barnes Bowie. “A Bottom-Up Account of State Supreme Court Opinion Writing.” Justice System Journal 37(2):94-114.

    2015. Savchak, Elisha Carol. “From Bench to Bench: Is Prior Judicial Experience Favored By Certain Judicial Selection Methods?” Justice System Journal 36(4):378-394.

    2013. Savchak, Elisha Carol, and Amanda Ross Edwards. “The New Tradition of Judicial Outreach: Survey Evidence from the States.” The Judges’ Journal 52(Summer):32-34.

    2010. Hansford, Thomas G., Elisha Carol Savchak, and Donald R. Songer. “Politics, Careerism and the Voluntary Departures of U.S. District Court Judges.” American Politics Research 38(November):986-1014.

    2010. Barghothi, A.J., Elisha Carol Savchak, and Ann O’M. Bowman. “Candidate Quality and the Election of Republican Governors in the South, 1950-2004.” American Politics Research 38(May):563-585.

    2007. Savchak, Elisha Carol, and A.J. Barghothi. “The Influence of Appointment and Retention Constituencies: Testing Strategies of Judicial Decisionmaking.” State Politics and Policy Quarterly 7(Winter):394-415.

    2006. Savchak, Elisha Carol, Thomas G. Hansford, Donald R. Songer, Kenneth L. Manning, and Robert A. Carp. “Taking It to the Next Level: the Elevation of District Judges to the U.S. Courts of Appeals.” American Journal of Political Science 50(April):487-502.

    2003. Holmes, Lisa M., and Elisha Carol Savchak. “Judicial Appointment Politics in the 107th Congress.” Judicature 86(5):232-239.