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]
He is the author of publications and books, including The Words That Made Us: America's Constitutional Conversation, 1760-1840. Justices across the spectrum on the Supreme 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 the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2007.[13] In 2008, U.S. presidential candidate Mike Gravel said that he would name Amar to the Supreme Court if elected president.[14]
Amar, a self-described liberal, has since engaged in advocacy considered controversial among progressive outlets, bloggers, and professors.[15][16][17] He argued in favor of Brett Kavanaugh's appointment to the Supreme Court[18] and argued that overturning Roe v. Wade would not affect other privacy rights.[19]
Since early 2021 he has co-hosted a weekly podcast, America’s Constitution with fellow Yale alumnus, Andy Lipka. Guests have included Bob Woodward,[20]Floyd Abrams,[21] and Gary Hart.[22]
Personal life
Amar and his wife, Vinita Parkash, married in 1989. He has three children: Vikram, Kara, and Sara.[9] He is politically a pro-choiceDemocrat.[23]
Selected works
Books
The Constitution and Criminal Procedure: First Principles (1997) ISBN 0-300-06678-3
For the People (with Alan Hirsch) (1997) ISBN 0-684-87102-5
The Bill of Rights: Creation and Reconstruction (1998) ISBN 0-300-07379-8
America's Constitution: A Biography (2005) ISBN 1-4000-6262-4
America's Unwritten Constitution: The Precedents and Principles We Live By (2012) ISBN 978-0-465-02957-0
The Bill of Rights Primer: A Citizen's Guidebook to the American Bill of Rights (with Les Adams) (2013) ISBN 978-1-62087-572-8
The Law of the Land: A Grand Tour of Our Constitutional Republic (2015) ISBN 978-0-465-06590-5
The Constitution Today: Timeless Lessons for the Issues of Our Era (2016) ISBN 978-0-465-09633-6
The Words that Made Us: America's Constitutional Conversation, 1760-1840 (2021) ISBN 978-0-465-09635-0
Articles
Amar, Akhil Reed (1985). "A Neo-Federalist View of Article III: Separating the Two Tiers of Federal Jurisdiction". Boston University Law Review. 65 (2): 205–272.
— (1987). "Of Sovereignty and Federalism". Yale Law Journal. 96 (7): 1425–1520. doi:10.2307/796493.
— (1988). "Philadelphia Revisited: Amending the Constitution Outside Article V". University of Chicago Law Review. 55 (4): 1043–1104. doi:10.2307/1599782.
— (1989). "Marbury, Section 13, and the Original Jurisdiction of the Supreme Court". University of Chicago Law Review. 56 (2): 443–99. doi:10.2307/1599844.
— (1991). "The Bill of Rights As a Constitution". Yale Law Journal. 100 (5): 1131–1210. doi:10.2307/796690.
— (1992). "The Case of the Missing Amendments: R.A.V. v. City of St. Paul". Harvard Law Review. 106 (1): 124–61.
— (1992). "The Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth Amendment". Yale Law Journal. 101 (6): 1193–1284. doi:10.2307/796923.
— (1994). "The Consent of the Governed: Constitutional Amendment Outside Article V". Columbia Law Review. 94 (2): 457–508. doi:10.2307/1123201.
— (1994). "Fourth Amendment First Principles". Harvard Law Review. 107 (4): 757–819. doi:10.2307/1341994.
—; Lettow, Renée B. (1995). "Fifth Amendment First Principles: The Self-Incrimination Clause". Michigan Law Review. 93 (5): 1193–1284.
— (1995). "Foreword: Sixth Amendment First Principles". Georgetown Law Journal. 84: 641–712.
— (1999). "Intratextualism". Harvard Law Review. 112 (4): 747–827. doi:10.2307/1342297.
— (2000). "The Supreme Court, 1999 Term; Foreword: The Document and the Doctrine". Harvard Law Review. 114 (1): 26–134.
— (2009). "Bush, Gore, Florida, and the Constitution" (PDF). Florida Law Review. 61 (5): 945–68.
^ a bTam, Derek (November 7, 2008). "Amar Earns Sterling Rank". The Yale Daily News. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
^"Akhil Amar: Biography" (PDF). whitehouse.gov. July 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
^"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.
^"Who Are the Top 20 Legal Thinkers in America?". Legal Affairs. Retrieved July 4, 2008.
^"Obama Names Yale Professor to Key Administration Post". India-West. May 20, 2015. Archived from the original on August 4, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
^ a b c d e fAmar, Akhil (July 2021). "CV – Akhil Reed Amar" (PDF). Yale Law School. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
^"Akhil Amar: Looking at How America Governs Itself". Zip06. May 25, 2022. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
^"Filling the Court: From Midnight Judges to Court Packing to Garland, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh". Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute. Hunter College. September 2018. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
^"Book of Members, 1780-2010: Chapter A" (PDF). American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 10, 2011. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
^Kaplan, Thomas (February 7, 2008). "Gravel's justice of choice: Amar". Yale Daily News. Archived from the original on October 24, 2008. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
^Lemieux, Scott (June 24, 2022). "Getting Real About the Post-'Roe' World". The American Prospect. The American Prospect, Inc. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
^Weissmann, Jordan (July 10, 2018). "The Liberal Case for Kavanaugh Is Complete Crap". Slate. The Slate Group. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
^Koppelman, Andrew (May 22, 2022). "Akhil Amar and the Dobbs draft". The Hill. Nextstar Media, Inc. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
^Amar, Akhil Reed (July 10, 2018). "Opinion | A Liberal's Case for Brett Kavanaugh". The New York Times.
^Amar, Akhil Reed (May 13, 2022). "The End of Roe v. Wade". Wall Street Journal.
^"The Purpose of the Truth". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
^"Constitutionalists United". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
^"Filibuster Finis". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
^Adler, Jonathan H. (May 16, 2022). "Akhil Amar on the Draft Dobbs Opinion". Reason. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
External links
Yale Law School bio
Page at the Federalist Society
Professor Amar's home page
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School biography Archived August 29, 2016, at the Wayback Machine