Rate My Professor Brent Boyea

Dr. Brent Boyea is a Professor of Political Science in the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Texas at Arlington. He joined the faculty as an Assistant Professor in 2006 upon completing his Ph.D. in Political Science from Rice University. Boyea earned his B.A. in Political Science and History from Case Western Reserve University. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2011 and to full Professor in Fall 2022, an occasion honored with a special book presentation to the UTA Libraries. Boyea currently serves as Associate Chair of the Department of Political Science, a role he assumed on September 2, 2018, and has been recognized as Department Chair in university communications. He advises the Political Science Fast Track Program for undergraduates pursuing graduate studies.

Boyea's research focuses on American political institutions, with emphasis on judicial politics, state politics, and elections. His scholarship has appeared in top-tier journals such as the American Journal of Political Science, State Politics & Policy Quarterly, Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, Journal of Law and Courts, Law & Society Review, and American Politics Research. Select publications include "State Public Opinion, the Death Penalty, and the Practice of Electing Judges," co-authored with Paul Brace (American Journal of Political Science, Vol. 52, No. 2, 2008, pp. 360-372); "Revisiting the Business of State Supreme Courts in the 21st Century," with Paul Brace (Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, Vol. 18, No. 3, 2021, pp. 684-696); "Judges, Litigants, and the Design of Courts," with Paul Brace and Jeff Yates (Law & Society Review, Vol. 46, No. 3, 2012, pp. 497-522); and "Facing the Public: Voter Assessments of Judicial Scandal," with Kayla S. Canelo (Journal of Law and Courts). He recently published "The Evolution of State Courts Research in the Twenty-First Century," a review essay. Boyea's work has accumulated over 668 citations on Google Scholar. Among his honors, he received the College of Liberal Arts Teaching Excellence Award. He has participated in university committees, including faculty governance bodies, and joined the Arlington Redistricting Task Force. Boyea has delivered public lectures and discussions on topics including Law Day (2024), the 2016 Presidential Election, same-sex marriage and the Supreme Court (2013), and judicial elections.