With more than 30 faculty members who are experts in constitutional law, UVA Law School offers an unparalleled variety of lecture courses, seminars and clinics in the field. Courses cover topics such as the First Amendment, administrative law, presidential power, federal courts, police and the law, election law, civil rights, separation of powers, race and the law, and more.
At points in American history, there have been significant, even massive shifts in constitutional understandings, doctrines, and practices. Apparently...
Few constitutional issues have been as significant to the first 100 days of the second Trump Administration as the question whether the President may...
For the over half-million people currently homeless in the United States, the U.S. Constitution has historically provided little help: it is strongly...
Trump v. United States’s discovery of broad immunity has rendered the presidency more imperial and unaccountable. This Article tackles four questions...
At points in American history, there have been significant, even massive shifts in constitutional understandings, doctrines, and practices. Apparently...
Few constitutional issues have been as significant to the first 100 days of the second Trump Administration as the question whether the President may...
For the over half-million people currently homeless in the United States, the U.S. Constitution has historically provided little help: it is strongly...
Trump v. United States’s discovery of broad immunity has rendered the presidency more imperial and unaccountable. This Article tackles four questions...
Over the last decade, the Supreme Court has revolutionized the law of religious freedom. At this point, the picture is reasonably clear. The Court has...
The Supreme Court has twice held since 2020 that statutory restrictions on the President’s removal power violate Article II of the U.S. Constitution...
The United States has granted reparations for a variety of historical injustices, from imprisonment of Japanese Americans during the Second World War...
This Essay reports data on the impact of Bruen and its predecessor, Heller, on gun rights cases. Put mildly, the impact was substantial, not only in...
The decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard [SFFA], invalidating the use of race in college admissions, reignites...
In our increasingly polarized society, claims that prosecutions are politically motivated, racially motivated, or just plain arbitrary are more common...
When federal judges are called on to adjudicate separation-of-powers disputes, they are not mere arbiters of the separation of powers. By resolving a...
Religion today offers plaintiffs a ready path to disobey laws without consequence. Examples of such disobedience abound. In the past few years alone...
A division exists between scholars who claim that Congress made only limited delegations to executive officials in the early Republic, and those who...
The Law School’s curriculum features two concentrations with courses in constitutional law and legal history. The following is a list of courses offered during 2024-26. Numbers in parentheses indicate which academic year(s) the courses were offered, i.e., 2023-24 is coded (24), 2024-25 is (25) and 2025-26 is (26). (SC) stands for short course and (YR) stands for yearlong.
Courses and Seminars
Administrative Law (24,25,26) Advanced Topics in the First Amendment (Religion Clauses) (25) Agencies in Court (SC) (25,26) Civil Rights and Antidiscrimination Law (25) Civil Rights Litigation (24,25,26) Civil War and the Constitution (24) Climate and Debt (24) Comparative Constitutional Law (24,25,26) Comparative Freedom of Speech (25) Comparative Freedom of Speech Law Seminar (24) Concepts in Policing: Challenges and Application (SC) (25,26) Congress, Oversight and the Separation of Powers (SC) (24) Constitutional Law and Economics (24,26) Constitutional Law and Jurisprudence (SC) (26) Constitutional Law II: Freedom of Religion (25,26) Constitutional Law II: Freedom of Speech and Press (24) Constitutional Law II: Poverty (26) Constitutional Law II: Religious Liberty (24) Constitutional Law II: Survey of Civil Liberties (24,26) Constitutional Reform (26) Constitutionalism: Nation, Culture and Constitutions (24) Courts (24,26) Criminal Adjudication (24,25,26) Criminal Investigation (24,25,26) Criminal Procedure Survey (24,25,26) Designing Democracy: Representation (24) Federal Courts (24,25,26) Federal Sentencing (SC) (24,26) Federalism (SC) (24) History of American Federalism (25) History of the American Administrative State (24) International Arbitration (24) Investigating Presidents (SC) (26) Law and Inequality Colloquium (24,25) Law and Riots (24,25,26) Law of the Police I: Rules, Rights and Regulation (25) Law, Inequality and Education Reform (25,26) Legislation (24,26) Legislation and Regulation (25,26) Litigating the 2024 Presidential Election (25) Litigating the Unitary Executive (26) Monetary Constitution Seminar (24,25,26) Monument Litigation (SC) (25) Native American Law (24) Online Privacy, Freedom of Speech and Platform Regulation in Europe (SC) (26) Pain and the Law (25,26) Perspectives on Sovereignty - Native American Law (26) Practical Perspectives on Policing: Fair and Effective Policymaking by Law Enforcement (SC) (24) Privacy (24,25,26) Privacy Law and Theory Seminar (24,25,26) Privacy Torts (24,25) Property, the Police Power and Emergencies (24,25) Public Law Colloquium (25,26) Racial Justice and Law (24,25,26) Regulation of Political Advocacy Seminar (24,25,26) Regulation of the Political Process (25,26) Regulatory Law and Policy (25) Religious Freedom and Reproductive Rights (24) Religious Freedom: Current Challenges (24) Reproductive Rights and Justice (24) Reproductive Rights and Justice (SC) (25) School Desegregation, School Integration (24) SCOTUS: A Study in Opacity and Privilege (SC) (25) Second Amendment and Gun Violence Colloquium (25) Separation of Powers in the Federal Courts Seminar (24,26) State Attorneys General (24,25,26) State Constitutional Law Seminar (26) State Constitutional Law: Litigation and Adjudication (26) State Constitutionalism (25) Supreme Court Justices and the Art of Judging (24) Supreme Court: October Term (24,25,26) Telecommunications Law and Policy Seminar (26) The Constitution, Democracy and U.S. History (25) The Executive Branch: Comparative and Political Aspects (SC) (24) The Great Writ (SC) (24,25) The Institutional Supreme Court (SC) (24) The January 6th Investigation and How Courts Can Shape Congress’ Power to Investigate (SC) (24) The Mueller Report and the Role of the Special Counsel (SC) (24,25) The Right to Protest (SC) (24)
Professor John C. Jeffries Jr. ’73, a former dean who ensured the Law School’s financial footing and set the stage for its future, is marking 50 years on the faculty.
Stanford Law School professor Pamela S. Karlan, an expert on voting and the political process and a former UVA Law professor, delivers the McCorkle Lecture.
Students in the Appellate Litigation, First Amendment and Supreme Court Litigation clinics grapple with constitutional issues from real or potential litigation. These clinics often give students a firm grounding in issues they may tackle as clerks or as practicing attorneys.
Appellate Litigation Clinic
This yearlong clinic allows 12 students to engage in the hands-on practice of appellate litigation through actual cases before various federal circuit and/or state courts of appeals. The students are teamed up and assigned to handle primary responsibility for work on at least one appellate case during the course of the year. In addition, the students work together as a small law firm to provide secondary-level assistance to each other.
Students work on cases that have potential to provide real and concrete relief and legal support to people and communities that have been harmed by the criminalization of poverty and other forms of discrimination or deprivation of rights.
Run in conjunction with the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression and the law firm Baker Hostetler, the yearlong First Amendment Clinic gives students practical legal experience involving timely free speech and press issues. Students work in teams to conduct legal research, meet with clients and co-counsel, and draft legal memoranda and briefs. Assignments typically involve appellate-level litigation, although there are occasional trial-level opportunities. Students also work on a variety of non-litigation projects, such as reviewing proposed municipal ordinances for potential First Amendment flaws.
Working in teams, students in this yearlong clinic handle actual cases, from seeking Supreme Court review to briefing on the merits. Students identify candidates for Supreme Court review; draft petitions for certiorari, amicus merits briefs and party merits briefs; and attend moots and Supreme Court arguments.
Professor Rachel Bayefsky of the University of Virginia School of Law has won the Association of American Law Schools’ Junior Scholarship Award for her scholarship in civil procedure. Professor Payvand Ahdout earned an honorable mention in the same category.
University of Minnesota law professor Jill Hasday discusses her award-winning book “We the Men: How Forgetting Women’s Struggles for Equality Perpetuates Inequality.” Professor Danielle Citron, co-director of the LawTech Center, introduced Hasday at the event.
Student organizations such as the American Constitution Society and the Federalist Society often host speakers on constitutional law topics and provide networking opportunities for those interested in the field. Recent events have included a talk focusing on the anatomy of a Supreme Court case by an experienced litigator, a lecture by the Obama campaign general counsel Robert Bauer '76 on the anti-election-reform movement, and the annual Supreme Court roundup, in which Virginia Law professors analyzes cases from the past court term.
In a new book, Professor George Rutherglen of the University of Virginia School of Law looks at three of the most high-profile recent Supreme Court decisions — on abortion, affirmative action and religious accommodations — and attempts to predict how they might play out in future employment litigation.
UVA Law professor John C. Harrison, former U.S. Pardon Attorney Margaret Love and Yale Law School professor Kate Stith-Cabranes discuss UVA Law professor Saikrishna Prakash’s new book, “The Presidential Pardon: The Short Clause with a Long, Troubled History.” Professor Micah Schwartzman ’05 moderated the panel and Dean Leslie Kendrick ’06 introduced the event, which was sponsored by the Karsh Center for Law and Democracy.
Being the final word on law in the United States can lead to strong disagreements with colleagues, but U.S. Supreme Court justices try to keep personal feelings out of their interactions, Justice Amy Coney Barrett told a University of Virginia audience in a fireside chat with Professor John C
Students at the University of Virginia School of Law can shift from studying legal scholarship to helping create it as research assistants for faculty members. Five students share their experiences.
University of Virginia School of Law professors were cited by the U.S. Supreme Court 28 times during the most recent term, among other achievements and recognition for members of the Law School community.
Professors Risa Goluboff and G. Edward White of the University of Virginia School of Law reflect on the history and legacy of the Declaration of Independence as the nation marks its 250th anniversary.
Professor Risa Goluboff discusses the U.S. Supreme Court case Marbury v. Madison and the creation of judicial review in a mock constitutional law class held for admitted students.
Professors Risa Goluboff and G. Edward White discuss the legacy and impact of the Declaration of Independence, written 250 years ago this year by UVA founder Thomas Jefferson.
UVA Law professor John C. Harrison, former U.S. Pardon Attorney Margaret Love and Yale Law School professor Kate Stith-Cabranes discuss UVA Law professor Saikrishna Prakash’s new book, “The Presidential Pardon: The Short Clause with a Long, Troubled History.” Professor Micah Schwartzman ’05 moderated the panel and Dean Leslie Kendrick ’06 introduced the event, which was sponsored by the Karsh Center for Law and Democracy.
Professors Ross E. Davies of George Mason University, Lucas A. Powe Jr. of the University of Texas and Sarah A. Seo of New York University discuss UVA Law professor G. Edward White’s new book, “Robert H. Jackson: A Life in Judgment.” Professor Risa Goluboff moderated the panel and Dean Leslie Kendrick ’06 introduced the event, which was sponsored by the Law School and co-sponsored by the Legal History Program.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson discusses “Lovely One: A Memoir” with Professor Kimberly Jenkins Robinson, her law school roommate and director of UVA Law’s Education Rights Institute, in honor of the institute’s second anniversary. Dean Leslie Kendrick ’06 makes introductory remarks.
Judge Roger L. Gregory of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit gives a talk and participates in a Q&A to mark receiving the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Law. Dean Risa Goluboff served as moderator for the event.
Keith Neely ’16 and Sam Gedge from the Institute for Justice will be joined by Professor Julia Mahoney to preview the upcoming Supreme Court term. Food will be provided.
This event is sponsored by a student organization.
Join ACS, BLSA, Professor Michael Gilbert and Melody Barnes, former director of the White House Domestic Policy Council under President Barack Obama and founding executive director of the Karsh Institute of Democracy, for a discussion about the future of voting rights after the Supreme Court’s decision in Callais, as well as Watson and NRSC. Food will be provided.
This event is sponsored by a student organization.
The Innocence Project’s annual Wrongful Conviction Day will feature client Messiah Johnson, who was fully exonerated and compensated by the commonwealth of Virginia for his 20 years of wrongful conviction. Food will be provided.
Join the Law, Innovation, Security, and Technology (LIST) Society to hear from a panel of practitioners about the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Chatrie v. United States. LIST will be joined by Adam Unikowsky, who argued for Chatrie, and Trisha Anderson, former deputy general counsel for the FBI. Professor Aditya Bamzai will moderate.
This event is sponsored by a student organization.
Yale Law School professor John Fabian Witt, an expert on American legal history, will deliver the 2026 McCorkle Lecture, “Power Not Rights: The Secret History of 20th-Century Constitutionalism.” Professor Risa Goluboff will introduce Witt. A reception will follow.
Witt explains: “What if what we think we know about the rights revolution of the 20th century is wrong? What if landmarks like Brown v. Board of Education originated not in ideas about rights at all? As liberal constitutionalism passes from the scene, ‘Power Not Rights’ proposes a revisionist history of its origins with trenchant lessons for the present.”
Witt is the Duffy Class of 1960 Professor of Law at Yale Law School and a professor of history at Yale University, where he teaches and writes on the history of American law and the law of torts. He is a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellow, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and former Head of College at Yale’s Davenport College. His books include “The Radical Fund: How a Band of Visionaries and a Million Dollars Upended America” and “Lincoln’s Code: The Laws of War in American History,” which won the Bancroft Prize, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, was awarded the American Bar Association’s Silver Gavel Award and was a New York Times Notable Book.
Visitors should enter the Law School through the Clay Hall entrance (map and parking details) and be prepared to show a government-issued ID.
The Federalist Society is kicking off its Spring Speaker Series with a fireside chat featuring UVA Law’s very own Professor Danielle Citron and Professor Jamil Jaffer, the founder of the National Security Institute at George Mason Law School. Join for a wide-ranging discussion of recent development in privacy law, moderated by Matthew Hamilton. A Q&A with audience members will follow the chat, and lunch will be provided.
This event is sponsored by a student organization.
Join the Federalist Society for a preview of the upcoming Supreme Court term. Institute for Justice attorneys, as well as chapter booster Professor Julia Mahoney, will look at the cases the court will consider and the cases they think the court should hear. They will also answer questions from attendees. Lunch will be served.
This event is sponsored by a student organization.
Kenneth L. Wainstein, under secretary for intelligence and analysis for the Department of Homeland Security, will discuss homeland security intelligence. The discussion, moderated by law professor Ashley Deeks, director of UVA’s National Security Law Center and a Miller Center faculty senior fellow, will cover election security as well as provide insights into this lesser known but vital player in the U.S. intelligence community.
Aimed at inspiring students and lawyers to promote justice through public service, the student-run conference will also feature an awards ceremony to honor Laurel Sakai ’11 and Anne Swerlick ’77 for their roles in serving the public.
Moderated by UVA Law professor Craig Konnoth, a panel of experts will discuss reconciling LGBTQ+ rights and religious freedom. The speakers are Christine Durham, senior of counsel for litigation, Wilson Sonsini, and former chief justice of the Utah Supreme Court; William Eskridge, John A. Garver Professor of Jurisprudence, Yale Law School; Ria Tabacco Mar, director of the ACLU’s Women’s Rights Project; and Robin Fretwell Wilson, director, Institute of Government and Public Affairs and Mildred Van Voorhis, Jones Chair in Law, Illinois College of Law.
Professor Julia Mahoney; Sherif Girgis, associate professor at Notre Dame Law School; and Denise Harle, senior counsel of Alliance Defending Freedom will speak on the U.S. Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.
Speaker Molly Conger, a local anti-racist activist and journalist, worked to uncover and publicize activities of white supremacists ahead of the Unite the Right rally. Her most recent work includes live-tweeting Sines v. Kessler. Food will be provided.
This conference marks the 50th anniversary of the passing of Title IX. Practitioners, scholars and other experts on Title IX will discuss current related issues, from sexual violence and abuses of power in higher education to access to sports for transgender students. Department of Education official Suzanne Goldberg will deliver the keynote address.
Sponsoring firms are Covington, Morgan Lewis, Thompson & Horton LLP, and Thompson Esquire.
Professors Risa Goluboff and G. Edward White discuss the legacy and impact of the Declaration of Independence, written 250 years ago this year by UVA founder Thomas Jefferson.
