1 The cancellation of the 2012 annual meeting of the American Political Science Association in New Orleans due to Hurricane Isaac was disappointing for many reasons, not the least of which is that the Law and Courts Section had much to celebrate. The Section still has much to cele- brate, however, and chief among them are the Lifetime Achievement Award recipient for 2011-12 and the upcoming inaugural issue of the Journal of Law and Courts. As I am sure you are all aware, Professor Robert Kagan was the recipient of the Life- time Achievement Award, the Section’s most prestigious award. This is terrific choice on the part of the award commit- tee—Susan E. Lawrence (chair), Lori Hausegger, John Kilwein, Jeffrey Staton, and Mary Volcansek—for so many reasons. In the words of the committee itself: Professor Kagan's elegant blend of legal, socio-legal, political, histori- cal, and comparative analysis in path-breaking scholarship, teaching, and academic service has redefined the boundaries of the law and courts field. Finding big theoretical questions in careful empirical analysis of specific settings, Kagan’s work integrates comparative per- spectives and the "law and society" dimension into a deeply political account of law, regulation, courts, and adjudication. A founding mem- ber of the law and society movement, Kagan directed Berkeley’s Cen- ter for the Study of Law and Society. A gifted teacher and a careful, cogent, and inquisitive critic, Kagan has mentored several generations of award-winning scholars of law and courts/law and society. (Continued on page 4) A Letter from the Section Chair: Wendy L. Martinek Binghamton University (SUNY) martinek@binghamtom.edu Inside this issue: Symposium : The Contribu- tions of Psychology to Law and Courts Research: Paul M. Collins, Jr., Lawrence Baum, Eileen Braman, Wendy Martinek, Brandon L. Bartels Symposium : New Directions in Comparative Public Law: Leila Kawar, Mark Fathi Massoud, Michael McCann, Martin Shapiro, Karen Alter, Lee Demetrius Walker Books to Watch For Announcements: LSAC Re- search Grants, Editor of Judi- cature Law & Courts NEWSLETTER OF THE LAW & COURTS SECTION OF THE AMERICAN POLITICAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION Fall 2012 Volume 22 Number 3