Lucia Lopez, JD, is a PhD candidate (expected May 2026) in Political Science at the University of Houston. Her research lies at the intersection of public opinion, public policy, and law, drawing on insights from political psychology to understand how policy design and misperceptions influence what people think about government programs (including the civil justice system) and about the people who benefit from them. Her research has appeared in top outlets, including Public Opinion Quarterly, Political Research Quarterly, and the Cleveland State Law Review. Lucia is a 2025–2026 American Political Science Association Early Career Fellow for the EPOVB and Experimental Methods sections.
Access to the civil courts is essential for addressing harms like unsafe housing and consumer fraud, yet public support for expanding legal access is often undermined by misperceptions that claimants seek opportunistic payouts. Using a national survey experiment, Lopez’s project shows that correcting misperceptions about the substantial effort required to pursue a civil claim increases perceptions of claimants’ deservingness and support for making the courts more accessible—an effect that is especially important in a political context where courts must hold powerful actors accountable.