Mark Leinauer

Mark Leinauer is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science, specializing in public law, the separation of powers, the regulation of sexuality, judicial decision-making, and the psychology of bias within the judicial process. His current scholarship focuses on the protection of individual liberties and the preservation of the United States’ traditional system of checks and balances. Recently, Professor Leinauer published “Dobbs Need Not Be the Death Knell for Abortion Rights” in the Quinnipiac Law Review and he is currently conducting research on the judicial ability to check an increasingly assertive executive branch.

His previous research examined the influence of gender and sexual orientation on judicial decision-making, as well as the role of disgust in judicial evaluations of non-heterosexual parents. Notable publications in these areas include “The Moral Sex: How Policing the Moral Development of Daughters Harms Gay Parents in Custody Disputes” (Berkeley Journal of Gender, Law & Justice) and “Toxic Sexuality: How Disgust at the Thought of Gay Male Sexuality Threatens the Parental Rights of Gay Male Parents” (Arizona State Law Journal).

Before entering academia, Professor Leinauer worked as a criminal defense attorney, a civil litigator, and a judicial clerk. He also gained professional experience with Equality California, the Berkeley Judicial Institute, the Center for Cities and Schools, the Earl Warren Institute on Law and Social Policy, and the San Francisco Policy and Urban Research Association (SPUR).

Professor Leinauer holds a Juris Doctor from Washington University in St. Louis, a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Ph.D. in Jurisprudence and Social Policy from the University of California, Berkeley.

Outside his professional work, Mark enjoys camping, cycling up big hills, traveling, and exploring the diverse musical culture of the San Francisco Bay Area.