Pamela S. Karlan
Pamela S. Karlan | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1959 |
| Nationality | United States |
| Alma mater | Yale Law School Yale University |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Legal scholar |
| Institutions | Stanford Law School |
Pamela S. Karlan (born 1959) is a professor of law at Stanford Law School and a leading legal scholar on voting rights and the political process.
Early life and education
After a near-perfect score on the SAT in 11th grade, Karlan skipped 12th grade and enrolled at Yale University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in 1980 and a law degree and master of arts in 1984.[1] At Yale Law School, she served as an Article & Book Reviews editor of the Yale Law Journal.[2]
In 1984-5, Karlan worked as a law clerk for former U.S. District Judge Abraham David Sofaer. In 1985-6, she clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun.
Professional career
From 1986 until 1988, Karlan worked as an assistant counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. From 1988 until 1998, Karlan was a professor of law at the University of Virginia School of Law.
In 1998, Karlan joined the faculty of Stanford Law School. She is currently the school's Kenneth and Harle Montgomery Professor of Public Interest Law. Karlan co-founded the Stanford Law School Supreme Court Litigation Clinic, through which students litigate live cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.[1]
Public profile
Karlan is a frequent commenter on PBS's The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. She was also a frequent commenter in the news media during the disputed 2000 presidential election. In the aftermath of that election, Karlan and co-authors Samuel Issacharoff and Richard Pildes adapted two chapters from their law school casebook into a book titled "When Elections Go Bad: The Law of Democracy and the Presidential Election of 2000."
Throughout her career, Karlan has been an advocate before the U.S. Supreme Court.[3] She was considered to be a potential candidate to replace Justice David Souter on the U.S. Supreme Court when he retires in late 2009.
Personal
Karlan is openly gay.[4] She told Politico in 2009, "It's no secret at all that I'm counted among the LGBT crowd."[5] Her partner is Viola Canales[6].
References
- ^ a b Pamela S. Karlan | Stanford Law School
- ^ http://yalelawjournal.org/images/mastheads/93.pdf
- ^ So, Guy Walks Up to the Bar, and Scalia Says... - New York Times
- ^ http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0509/22106.html
- ^ http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0509/22106.html
- ^ http://wm.nmmstream.net/acs/convention06/18606/karlan.asx