Bruce Ackerman
Encyclopedia
Bruce Arnold Ackerman is an American
constitutional law
scholar. He is a Sterling Professor
at Yale Law School
and one of the most frequently cited legal academics in the United States.
In 2010, he was named by Foreign Policy
magazine to its list of top global thinkers.
, received a B.A degree from Harvard University
in 1964 and an LL.B degree from Yale Law School
in 1967. He clerked for U.S Court of Appeals Judge Henry J. Friendly from 1967 to 1968, and then for U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan II
from 1968 to 1969.
Ackerman joined the faculty of University of Pennsylvania
in 1969. He was a Professor at Yale University
from 1974 to 1982 and at Columbia University
from 1982 to 1987. Since 1987 Ackerman has been the Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale. He teaches classes at Yale on the concepts of justice and on his theories of constitutional transformation (i.e., the Constitution of the Founders was transformed by the Civil War
/Reconstruction and the New Deal). His wife, Susan Rose-Ackerman, is also a professor at Yale Law School who teaches classes on administrative law. Their son, John M. Ackerman
, is also an academic who lives and works in Mexico. Their daughter, Sybil R. Ackerman, is an environmental advocate in Portland, Oregon. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1986.
His major works include:
We the People: Foundations is best known for its forceful argument that the "switch in time," whereby a particular member of the U.S. Supreme Court changed his judicial philosophy
to one that permitted much more of the New Deal
legislation in response to the so called court-packing plan, is an example of political determination of constitutional meaning.
With Anne Alstott he wrote The Stakeholder Society (ISBN 0300078269) in 1999 which served as a basis for introduction of Child Trust Fund
s in the United Kingdom
.http://www.law.yale.edu/faculty/BAckerman.htm
His current (2010) book is The Decline and Fall of the American Republic. ISBN 978-0674057036
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
constitutional law
Constitutional law
Constitutional law is the body of law which defines the relationship of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the legislature and the judiciary....
scholar. He is a Sterling Professor
Sterling Professor
A Sterling Professorship is the highest academic rank at Yale University, awarded to a tenured faculty member considered one of the best in his or her field...
at Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
and one of the most frequently cited legal academics in the United States.
In 2010, he was named by Foreign Policy
Foreign Policy
Foreign Policy is a bimonthly American magazine founded in 1970 by Samuel P. Huntington and Warren Demian Manshel.Originally, the magazine was a quarterly...
magazine to its list of top global thinkers.
Biography
Ackerman graduated from the Bronx High School of ScienceBronx High School of Science
The Bronx High School of Science is a specialized New York City public high school often considered the premier science magnet school in the United States. Founded in 1938, it is now located in the Bedford Park section of the Bronx...
, received a B.A degree from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1964 and an LL.B degree from Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
in 1967. He clerked for U.S Court of Appeals Judge Henry J. Friendly from 1967 to 1968, and then for U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan II
John Marshall Harlan II
John Marshall Harlan was an American jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court from 1955 to 1971. His namesake was his grandfather John Marshall Harlan, another associate justice who served from 1877 to 1911.Harlan was a student at Upper Canada College and Appleby College and...
from 1968 to 1969.
Ackerman joined the faculty of University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
in 1969. He was a Professor at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
from 1974 to 1982 and at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
from 1982 to 1987. Since 1987 Ackerman has been the Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale. He teaches classes at Yale on the concepts of justice and on his theories of constitutional transformation (i.e., the Constitution of the Founders was transformed by the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
/Reconstruction and the New Deal). His wife, Susan Rose-Ackerman, is also a professor at Yale Law School who teaches classes on administrative law. Their son, John M. Ackerman
John M. Ackerman
Dr. John Mill Ackerman Rose is an author as well as a professor at the Institute of Legal Research of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and vice president of the International Association of Administrative Law. He received his MA and PhD in Political Sociology from the University of...
, is also an academic who lives and works in Mexico. Their daughter, Sybil R. Ackerman, is an environmental advocate in Portland, Oregon. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1986.
Works
Bruce Ackerman is the author of fifteen books and more than eighty articles. His interests cover constitutional theory, political philosophy, comparative law and politics, law and economics, American constitutional history, the environment, and social justice.His major works include:
- Social Justice in the Liberal StateSocial Justice in the Liberal StateSocial Justice in the Liberal State is a book written by Bruce A. Ackerman, recipient of the French Order of Merit, Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale, and the author of fifteen books that have had a broad influence in political philosophy, constitutional law, and public policy...
, 1980 - We the People, Volume 1, Foundations, 1991, Harvard University PressHarvard University PressHarvard University Press is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. In 2005, it published 220 new titles. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. Its current director is William P...
- Is NAFTA Constitutional?, with David Golove, 1995, Harvard University PressHarvard University PressHarvard University Press is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. In 2005, it published 220 new titles. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. Its current director is William P...
- We the People, Volume 2, Transformations, 1998, Harvard University PressHarvard University PressHarvard University Press is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. In 2005, it published 220 new titles. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. Its current director is William P...
- The Failure of the Founding Fathers, 2005, Harvard University PressHarvard University PressHarvard University Press is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. In 2005, it published 220 new titles. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. Its current director is William P...
We the People: Foundations is best known for its forceful argument that the "switch in time," whereby a particular member of the U.S. Supreme Court changed his judicial philosophy
Judicial philosophy
Judicial philosophy is the set of ideas and beliefs which dictate how Justices and judges of the United States federal courts may rule in many cases....
to one that permitted much more of the New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
legislation in response to the so called court-packing plan, is an example of political determination of constitutional meaning.
With Anne Alstott he wrote The Stakeholder Society (ISBN 0300078269) in 1999 which served as a basis for introduction of Child Trust Fund
Child Trust Fund
A Child Trust Fund is a long-term savings or investment account for children in the United Kingdom. New accounts cannot be created but existing accounts can receive new money...
s in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.http://www.law.yale.edu/faculty/BAckerman.htm
His current (2010) book is The Decline and Fall of the American Republic. ISBN 978-0674057036