Akhil Reed Amar

Akhil Amar
Amar in 2014
Born (1958-09-06) September 6, 1958 (age 66)
EducationYale University (BA, JD)
TitleSterling Professor of Law and Political Science
RelativesVikram Amar (brother)
AwardsPaul M. Bator Award (1993)
American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2007)
Academic work
DisciplineConstitutional law
InstitutionsYale University
Columbia University
University of Pennsylvania
Notable students

Akhil Reed Amar (born September 6, 1958) is an American legal scholar known for his expertise in U.S. constitutional law. He is the Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale University, where he is a leading scholar of originalism, the U.S. Bill of Rights, and criminal procedure.[1]

Raised in California, Amar was an undergraduate in Yale College before receiving his legal education at Yale 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 the U.S. Supreme Court.[2]

Amar has been active in the American Bar Association and the Federalist Society, with his work receiving awards from both organizations.[3] In 2008, a Legal Affairs poll placed him among the top 20 contemporary American legal thinkers.[4] According to a 2021 study by Fred R. Shapiro, Amar is the 18th most-cited legal scholar of all-time.[5]

  1. ^ Tam, Derek (November 7, 2008). "Amar Earns Sterling Rank". The Yale Daily News. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  2. ^ "Akhil Amar: Biography" (PDF). whitehouse.gov. July 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  3. ^ "Renowned Yale Law Professor Akhil Reed Amar Explores "The Founding Fathers and the Importance of Civil Discourse" in Captivating Baylor Law Lecture". Baylor University Law School. October 3, 2023. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  4. ^ "Who Are the Top 20 Legal Thinkers in America?". Legal Affairs. Retrieved July 4, 2008.
  5. ^ Shapiro, Fred R. (2021). "The Most-Cited Legal Scholars Revisited". University of Chicago Law Review. 88 (1): 1595–1618.