Tom S. Clark

I am a Professor of Political Science and Senior Fellow (by courtesy) at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. My research focus on the political economy of two related areas: judicial politics and policing and public safety.

On the judicial politics side, I study judicial independence, the separation of powers, decision-making at the U.S. Supreme Court, judicial elections, and the political economy of courts more broadly. My work on policing focuses on officer-involved shootings, racial bias in police use of force, the effects of military equipment transfers to local police departments, and how public information shapes policing behavior.

My current research examines agenda setting and lawmaking in appellate courts and prosecutorial discretion in American cities. I am also currently Editor of The Journal of Law & Courts, the flagship journal of the Law & Courts section of the American Political Science Association.

Before joining Stanford in 2025, I was the David and Mary Winton Green Professor of Political Sciencer at the faculty at the University of Chicago and before that the Charles Howard Candler Professor of Political Science at Emory University.