Arning Researches Religion’s Influence on Law
Arning Researches Religion’s Influence on Law
Doctoral student Hannah Arning explored judicial behavior, and she will start her academic career in legal studies.
Hannah Arning (BA ’21) expected to pursue a career in government, but she discovered a love for teaching and wanted to continue pursuing research interests. In August, she will become an assistant professor of legal studies at Belmont University.
As an American government PhD student at UT, her research has been centered on the interaction of religion and the law.
“In my dissertation, I study how the religious affiliation of judges influences their sentencing decisions in criminal trials,” she said. “In particular, I develop a theory of the connection between religious literalism and legal textualism to explain judicial behavior.”
Arning also has coauthored work that explores the influence of religious groups as amicus curiae at the Supreme Court.
Assistant Professor Kirsten Widner served as her dissertation advisor. “I have been able to coauthor research with her and present that research at numerous conferences, where she helped me connect with other scholars in my field,” Arning said.
Throughout graduate school she has received support through a Department of Political Science fellowship, and she has received awards for graduate teaching and research from the department.