GVPT Professor Patrick Wohlfarth Wins C. Herman Pritchett Book Award

Department of Government and Politics Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies Patrick C. Wohlfarth has been awarded the C. Herman Pritchett Book Award for his book Cognitive Aging and the Federal Circuit Courts: How Senescence Influences the Law and Judges.

The C. Herman Pritchett Award is given annually to the best book on law and courts published in the previous year, as determined by the Law and Courts Section of the American Political Science Association.

This first-of-its-kind study investigates how cognitive aging influences federal circuit court judges. The findings reveal that as judges age, their opinions take longer to craft, become less complex, and increasingly rely on cognitive shortcuts and assistance from others—while their susceptibility to persuasion rises just as their individual influence wanes.

By uncovering how aging affects judicial decision-making, Wohlfarth and his coauthors—Ryan C. Black (Michigan State University) and Ryan J. Owens (Florida State University)—open the door to new debates about institutional reform and the future of the courts.

Professor Wohlfarth and his coauthors will receive their award during the 2025 APSA Reception on September 10, 2025.

Published on Wed, 09/10/2025 - 13:36