Akhil Amar | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Amar in 2014 | |
| Born | (1958-09-06)September 6, 1958 (age 66) Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S. |
| Education | Yale University (BA,JD) |
| Title | Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science |
| Relatives | Vikram Amar (brother) |
| Awards | Paul M. Bator Award (1993) American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2007) |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Constitutional law |
| Institutions | Yale University Columbia University University of Pennsylvania |
| Notable students |
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Akhil Reed Amar (born September 6, 1958) is an American legal scholar known for his expertise inU.S. constitutional law. He is aSterling Professor of Law and Political Science atYale University, where he is a leading scholar oforiginalism, theU.S. Bill of Rights, andcriminal procedure.[1]
Raised in California, Amar was an undergraduate inYale College before receiving his legal education atYale Law School. He clerked for Judge (later Justice)Stephen Breyer then became a professor at Yale Law School at the age of 26. He is one of the legal scholars most frequently cited by theU.S. Supreme Court.[2]
Amar has been active in theAmerican Bar Association and theFederalist Society, with his work receiving awards from both organizations.[3] In 2008, aLegal Affairs poll placed him among the top 20 contemporary American legal thinkers.[4] According to a 2021 study byFred R. Shapiro, Amar is the 18th most-cited legal scholar of all-time.[5]
Amar was born on September 6, 1958, inAnn Arbor, Michigan.[6] He has two brothers, one of whom isVikram Amar, who is also a legal scholar and was thedean of theUniversity of Illinois College of Law.[7] His parents were medical students fromIndia who met as students at theUniversity of Michigan.[6] His father became a professor at theUniversity of California, San Francisco.[6] His middle name comes from his father's mentor,Reed M. Nesbit.[6]
Amar grew up inWalnut Creek, California, and graduated fromLas Lomas High School in 1976.[8] He then attendedYale University, where hedouble majored inhistory andeconomics.[1] He was a member of theYale Debate Association, winning its Thacher Memorial Prize, and was a chair of theYale Political Union.[9] He befriended future journalistRichard Brookhiser in his first year in college,[6] and graduated as a resident ofEzra Stiles College.[10] Amar graduated from Yale in 1980 with aBachelor of Arts,summa cum laude, with membership inPhi Beta Kappa.[9] He had developed a serious interest in history studying under professorsEdmund Morgan andJohn Morton Blum, and chose to stay at the university instead of returning to California as he originally planned.[6]
In 1981, Amar enteredYale Law School, where he was an editor ofThe Yale Law Journal and hadRobert Bork as a teacher.[9][6] He graduated in 1984 with aJuris Doctor degree. After law school, Amar was alaw clerk for then-judgeStephen Breyer of theU.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit from 1984 to 1985.[9] He then interviewed for a clerkship with JusticeJohn Paul Stevens but did not receive an offer.
Amar joined the faculty of Yale Law School in 1985 as an assistant professor, then became an associate professor in 1988 and a full professor in 1990. From 1993 to 2008, he was the law school'sSouthmayd Professor of Law. He received the school's appointment as aSterling Professor of Law in 2008.[9] Amar's former students include four U.S. senators—Cory Booker,Michael Bennet,Chris Coons, andJosh Hawley—and government officialsJake Sullivan andNeal Katyal.[11] JusticeBrett Kavanaugh was also a student of Amar.[12]
He is the author of publications and books, includingThe Words That Made Us: America's Constitutional Conversation, 1760-1840. Justices across the spectrum on theSupreme Court have cited his work in more than four dozen cases—the most among living non-emeritus scholars. In surveys of judicial citations and/or scholarly citations, he typically ranks among America’s five most-cited mid-career legal scholars.[citation needed]
He was elected a fellow of theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2007.[13] In 2008, U.S. presidential candidateMike Gravel said that he would name Amar to the Supreme Court if elected president.[14]
He was awarded the prestigious Barry Prize for Distinguished Intellectual Achievement by the American Academy of Sciences and Letters in 2024.[15]
Amar, a self-described liberal, has since engaged in advocacy considered controversial among progressive outlets, bloggers, and professors.[16][17][18] He argued in favor ofBrett Kavanaugh's appointment to the Supreme Court[19] and argued that overturningRoe v. Wade would not affect other privacy rights.[20]
Since early 2021 he has co-hosted a weekly podcast,Amarica’s Constitution with a fellow Yale alumnus, Andy Lipka. Guests have includedBob Woodward,[21]Floyd Abrams,[22] andGary Hart.[23]
Amar and his wife, Vinita Parkash, married in 1989. He has three children: Vikram, Kara, and Sara.[9] He is politically apro-choiceDemocrat.[24]
