Profile
Dr. Keith has a Bachelor’s degree in government and politics from UT-Dallas, a Master’s degree and doctorate in political science from the University of North Texas.
She teaches courses that deal with public law and the rule of law, particularly in regard to global human rights and the U.S. Supreme court.
Keith teaches Comparative Courts and Law, Human Rights and the Rule of Law, Constitutional Law, Judicial Politics, and Introduction to American Politics.
Dr. Keith specializes in global human rights and the rule of law as well as judicial politics.
Past Work Experience
- University of Iowa
- Collin College
Awards & honors
- Twice was outstanding faculty at Collin College
- Twice elected as Faculty Senate president at Collin College
Professional Organizations
- American Political Science Association
- Midwest Political Science Association
- Western Political Science Association
- Southern Political Science Association
- Southwestern Political Science Association
Publications & Research
Books
The U.S. Supreme Court and the Exercise of Judicial Review against Congress, 1803-2002. Lang Publishers, Legal Studies Series. Under contract.
Telecourse Guide for Voices in Democracy (with Eileen Lynch and Sue Lee). Harcourt Brace College Publishers. 1998-2006, editions.
Testbank for Voices in Democracy (with Eileen Lynch and Sue Lee). Harcourt Brace College Publishers. 1998-2006 editions.
Telecourse Faculty Guide for Voices in Democracy (with Eileen Lynch and Sue Lee). Harcourt Brace College Publishers. 1998-2006 editions.
Book Chapters
National Constitutions and Human Rights Protection: Regional Differences and Colonial Influences in Sabine Carey and Steven C. Poe, eds., The Systematic Study of Human Rights. Ashgate Publishing (2004).
"The U.S., the I.M.F., and Human Rights" (with Steven C. Poe). In The United States and Human Rights: Looking Inward and Outward, edited by David P. Forsythe (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2000).
"The Continuity of Suffering: Domestic Threat and Human Rights Abuse Across Time," (with C. Neal Tate, Steven C. Poe, and Drew Lanier). In Paths to State Repression: Human Rights and Contentious Politics in Comparative Perspective, ed. Christian Davenport (Boulder: Roman Littlefield, 2000).Academic Journals
“The United States Supreme Court and Judicial Review of Congress: 1803-2001.” Forthcoming (2006) at Judicature.
"Constitutional Provisions for Individual Human Rights (1976-1996): Are They More than Mere 'Window Dressing?'" Political Research Quarterly (March 2002) 55: 111-143.
"International Principles for Formal Judicial Independence: Trends in National Constitutions and Their Impact (1976 to 1996)."Judicature (March 2002) 85: 194-200.
"The United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: Does it Make a Difference in Human Rights Behavior?" Journal of Peace Research 36 (March 1999):95-118.
"Are Constitutional State of Emergency Clauses Effective? An Empirical Exploration" (with Steven C. Poe). Human Rights Quarterly (November 2004) 26(4): 1071-1097.
"The U.S., the I.M.F., and Human Rights" (with Steven C. Poe). In The United States and Human Rights: Looking Inward and Outward, edited by David P. Forsythe (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2000).
"Opinion Assignment and the Chief Justice: 1888-1940 (with Sandra Wood, Drew Lanier, and Ayo Ogundele). Social Science Quarterly 81(Fall 2000): 798-809.
"The Continuity of Suffering: Domestic Threat and Human Rights Abuse Across Time," (with C. Neal Tate, Steven C. Poe, and Drew Lanier). In Paths to State
"Repression of the Human Right to Personal Integrity Revisited: A Global Crossnational Study Covering the Years 1976-1993" (with Steven C. Poe and C. Neal Tate). International Studies Quarterly 43 (1999): 291-313.
"'Acclimation Effects' for Supreme Court Justices: A Cross-Validation: 1888-1940," (with Sandra Wood, Drew Lanier, and Ayo Ogundele). American Journal of Political Science 42 (April 1998): 690-697.
"The Supreme Court 1888-1940: An Empirical Overview" (with Sandra Wood, Drew Lanier, and Ayo Ogundele). Social Science History 22 (1998): 204-224.
Research Papers
“Is the Law a Mere Parchment Barrier to Human Rights Abuse?” Invited lecture in the University of Iowa Center for Human Rights Careers for Change lecture series. April 2006.
“Constitutional Limits, Democracy, and National Human Rights Behavior, 1976-2004” (with Neal Tate). Paper presented the annual meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, April 20-23, 2006.
“Judicial Deference to Congress: Attitudinal and Strategic Accounts of Judicial Review, 1803-2001.” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Southwestern Political Science Association, April 2006.
“Is the Law a Mere Parchment Barrier?” Presentation at the University of Iowa Political Science Department Workshop Series, Fall 2005.
“The U.S. Supreme Court and Two Hundred Years of Judicial Review: Myth and Reality.” Invited talk at Vanderbilt University, Sept. 2005.
“The United States Supreme Court and Judicial Review of Congress 1803-2001.” Paper presented at the American Political Science Association Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, Sept. 1-4, 2005.
“Is Judicial Review a Likely Tool to Curb Human Rights Abuse?: An Empirical Assessment of the U.S. Supreme Court's Exercise of This Power Over Two Centuries.” Paper presented at the American Political Science Association Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, Sept. 1-4, 2005.
“Sub-Saharan Africa: Colonial Influences on Human Rights and Judicial Independence” (with Ayo Ogundele). Paper presented at Southwest Political Science Association Meetings, March 23-26, 2005, New Orleans, Louisiana.
"Personal Integrity Abuse during Domestic Crises: Exploring the Relationships between Constitutional Protections, Formal Judicial Independence, and Executive Constraint" (with Steven C. Poe). Co-authored paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Boston, MA, Sept. 2002.
Panelist on the Comparative Judicial Systems and Politics Short Course at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, San Francisco, Sept. 2001.
"Constitutional Protections, Judicial Independence and State Repression of Personal Integrity: Is the Law a Mere Parchment Barrier to Human Rights Abuse?" Paper presented at the Southwestern Political Science Association Annual Meeting, Radisson Plaza Hotel, Ft. Worth, Texas, March 15-18, 2001
Chair of Judicial Decision Making panel. Southwestern Political Science Association Annual Meeting, Radisson Plaza Hotel, Ft. Worth, Texas, March 15-18, 2001
"Do Constitutional Provisions for an Independent Judiciary Promote Respect for Fundamental Human Rights?" (with C. Neal and Steven C. Poe). Paper presented at the Research Committee on Comparative Judicial Studies Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, January 2001.
"Courts, Democracy, and Human Rights" (with C. Neal Tate). Paper presented at The First Annual Summer Symposium (Studying Peace Science) sponsored by the Department of Political Science at the University of North Texas, June 9, 2000.
"Law, Courts, Judges, and Democracy: A Crossnational View" (with C. Neal Tate). Prepared for the Conference on World Democratization 2000 -- Rethinking Democracy in the New Millennium, sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the University of Houston, Omni Houston Hotel, February 16-19, 2000.
"Do Constitutional Provisions for States of Emergency Discourage or Enable Human Rights Abuse?" Paper presented at the 1999 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Atlanta, GA, September 2-4, 1999.
"Writing Constitutions that Protect against Human Rights Abuse--How Important are Provisions for Judicial Independence and Judicial Review?" Paper prepared for the 1999 Conference on the Scientific Study of Judicial Politics, Texas A&M University, October 21-23, 1999.
"Repression of the Human Right to Personal Integrity Revisited: A Global Cross-National Study Covering the Years 1976-1993" (with Steven C. Poe and C. Neal Tate). Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, Toronto, April 1997.
"Domestic Threats and the Abuse of Personal Integrity" (with Steven C. Poe, C. Neal Tate, and Drew Lanier). Paper presented at the Conference on Comparative Human Rights and Repression. University of Colorado-Boulder Comparative Politics Center, June 20-21, 1997.
"Freshman Effects Revisited: A Multidimensional Approach" (with Sandra Wood, Drew Lanier, and Ayo Ogundele). Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Southwestern Political Science Association, March 1997.
"A Re-examination of the Impact of the Bork Nomination on Confirmation Criteria" (with Ayo Ogundele). Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Southwestern Political Science Association, March 1997.
"Testing the Center Chair: The Associate Justices who Became Chief Justice" (with Sandra Wood, Drew Lanier, and Ayo Ogundele). Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, April 1997.
"Domestic Threat and the Violence of Personal Integrity Rights Abuse: A Cross-national Exploration" (with Steven C. Poe, C. Neal Tate, and Drew Lanier). Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, April 1996.
"The U.S., the I.M.F., and Human Rights" (with Steven C. Poe). Presented at the 15th Annual Hendricks Symposium on U.S. Foreign Policy and Human Rights, University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Sept. 1996.
"The Attitudinal Model of the Supreme Court: Is It Timebound?" (with Sandra Wood, Drew Lanier, and Ayo Ogundele). Presented at the Southern Political Science Conference, Tampa, November, 1995.
"An Exploratory Analysis of Supreme Court Nullifications." Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, April 1995.Reviews
“The Gap between Principle and Practice: Protecting Human Rights: A Comparative Perspective.” Forthcoming 2006 book review. International Studies Review.
- Updated: October 16, 2006
