Ryan C. Black is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Michigan State University. He joined MSU in 2009 after receiving his Ph.D. (in political science) from Washington University in St. Louis that same year. He received his B.A. in political science from the University of Minnesota in 2004. He studies American political institutions, with a focus on the judiciary and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Black has coauthored three books on the Supreme Court (U.S. Supreme Court Opinions and Their Audiences, Cambridge University Press, Forthcoming; The Solicitor General and the United States Supreme Court, Cambridge University Press, 2012; Oral Arguments and Coalition Formation on the U.S. Supreme Court, University of Michigan Press, 2012) and has published over 30 articles in law reviews (e.g., Georgetown Law Journal, University of Illinois Law Review, and Journal of Appellate Practice and Process), peer-reviewed interdisciplinary journals (e.g., Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, Justice System Journal), and mainstream peer-reviewed political science journals (e.g., American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics, and Political Research Quarterly).

Black is a recipient of the Lilly Teaching Fellowship (2012-2013) and a winner of the University's Teacher-Scholar Award (2014). His teaching interests include judicial politics and quantitative methods.