McNair Scholar 2021 Maria Zavala Garcia
Maria Zavala Garcia is a senior at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, studying Political Science with a minor in Biology. Her research interests encompass human rights, displacement, authoritarianism, and state violence. Ms. Zavala Garcia plans on pursuing a Ph.D. in Political Science with a concentration in Comparative Politics.
My dream is to receive a Doctorate in Political Science and teach at a research-focused university. Leveraging my higher education, I want to engage in work that will benefit marginalized communities, including displaced persons affected by state violence.
Research project
How Judges of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights Express Dissent: An Analysis of Separate Judicial Speech
Abstract: With the growing influence of regional human rights tribunals in domestic and international law, politics, and society, there has been increasing interest in the judges at their helm. Focusing on the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, we sought to obtain a more holistic view of its judges in order to understand the public and private ways they make their voices heard as individuals. By examining separate judicial speech, we interrogated the influence judges do or should have on policymaking and the development of human rights jurisprudence. Our research analyzed the language used in judicial separate opinions—from cases heard by the Inter-American Court—along dimensions of tone, collegiality, temporality, and audience. Additionally, we compiled profiles for individual judges that encompassed their off-the-bench public engagement, expanding the empirical scope of judicial speech. This work contributed to a preliminary understanding of how personal and professional experiences inform individual approaches to law.
Faculty mentor
Dr. Cosette D. Creamer is currently an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Minnesota and affiliated faculty at the University of Minnesota Law School. She attended Harvard University where she received her Ph.D. in Political Science in 2016 and her J.D in 2010. Her interdisciplinary research focuses on international trade, international law and organization, human rights, criminal law procedure, and international courts. Dr. Creamer has been published in various journals and is currently co-authoring a book on international courts and judicial bodies. This is her first year as a McNair faculty mentor.