Pamela S. Karlan
Encyclopedia
Pamela Susan Karlan is a professor of law at Stanford Law School
and a leading liberal legal scholar on voting rights and the political process.
in 1980 and a law degree and master of arts in 1984. At Yale Law School
, she served as an Article & Book Reviews editor of the Yale Law Journal
.
In 1984-85, Karlan worked as a law clerk for former U.S. District Judge Abraham David Sofaer
. In 1985-86, she clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun
.
Blackmun revealed in a 1995 oral history with Harold Koh that his dissent in Bowers v. Hardwick
was written primarily by Karlan. Blackmun said of the dissent, Karlan "did a lot of very effective writing, and I owe a lot to her and her ability in getting that dissent out. She felt very strongly about it, and I think is correct in her approach to it. I think the dissent is correct."
. 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 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.
. She was 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. She was considered a potential candidate to replace Justice David Souter
on the U.S. Supreme Court when he retired in 2009.
. She told Politico
in 2009, "It's no secret at all that I'm counted among the LGBT
crowd." Her partner is Viola Canales
.
Stanford Law School
Stanford Law School is a graduate school at Stanford University located in the area known as the Silicon Valley, near Palo Alto, California in the United States. The Law School was established in 1893 when former President Benjamin Harrison joined the faculty as the first professor of law...
and a leading liberal legal scholar on voting rights and the political process.
Early life and education
Karlan earned her bachelor's degree from Yale UniversityYale 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...
in 1980 and a law degree and master of arts in 1984. 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...
, she served as an Article & Book Reviews editor of the Yale Law Journal
Yale Law Journal
The Yale Law Journal is a student-run law review affiliated with the Yale Law School. Published continuously since 1891, it is the most widely known of the eight law reviews published by students at Yale Law School...
.
In 1984-85, Karlan worked as a law clerk for former U.S. District Judge Abraham David Sofaer
Abraham David Sofaer
Abraham David Sofaer was a federal judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and then a legal adviser to the United States State Department. He is currently a George P...
. In 1985-86, she clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun
Harry Blackmun
Harold Andrew Blackmun was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1970 until 1994. He is best known as the author of Roe v. Wade.- Early years and professional career :...
.
Blackmun revealed in a 1995 oral history with Harold Koh that his dissent in Bowers v. Hardwick
Bowers v. Hardwick
Bowers v. Hardwick, , is a United States Supreme Court decision that upheld, in a 5-4 ruling, the constitutionality of a Georgia sodomy law criminalizing oral and anal sex in private between consenting adults when applied to homosexuals. Seventeen years after Bowers v. Hardwick, the Supreme Court...
was written primarily by Karlan. Blackmun said of the dissent, Karlan "did a lot of very effective writing, and I owe a lot to her and her ability in getting that dissent out. She felt very strongly about it, and I think is correct in her approach to it. I think the dissent is correct."
Professional career
From 1986 until 1988, Karlan worked as an assistant counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational FundNAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. is a leading United States civil rights organization and law firm based in New York City....
. From 1988 until 1998, Karlan was a professor of law at the University of Virginia School of Law
University of Virginia School of Law
The University of Virginia School of Law was founded in Charlottesville in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson as one of the original subjects taught at his "academical village," the University of Virginia. The law school maintains an enrollment of approximately 1,100 students in its initial degree program...
.
In 1998, Karlan joined the faculty of Stanford Law School
Stanford Law School
Stanford Law School is a graduate school at Stanford University located in the area known as the Silicon Valley, near Palo Alto, California in the United States. The Law School was established in 1893 when former President Benjamin Harrison joined the faculty as the first professor of law...
. She is 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.
Public profile
Karlan is a frequent commenter on PBS's The NewsHour with Jim LehrerThe NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
PBS NewsHour is an evening television news program broadcast weeknights on the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States. The show is produced by MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, a company co-owned by former anchors Jim Lehrer and Robert MacNeil, and Liberty Media, which owns a 65% stake in the...
. She was 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
Samuel Issacharoff
Samuel Issacharoff is an American law professor, whose scholarly work focuses on voting rights and civil procedure. He is currently the Bonnie and Richard Reiss Professor of Constitutional Law at New York University School of Law. He served as a visiting professor at Harvard Law School for the...
and Richard Pildes
Richard Pildes
Richard H. Pildes is a law professor at the New York University School of Law and a leading expert on election law. He is one of the nation's leading scholars of public law and a specialist in legal issues affecting democracy....
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. She was considered a potential candidate to replace Justice David Souter
David Souter
David Hackett Souter is a former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He served from 1990 until his retirement on June 29, 2009. Appointed by President George H. W. Bush to fill the seat vacated by William J...
on the U.S. Supreme Court when he retired in 2009.
Personal
Karlan is a lesbianLesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
. She told Politico
The Politico
The Politico is an American political journalism organization based in Arlington, Virginia, that distributes its content via television, the Internet, newspaper, and radio. Its coverage of Washington, D.C., includes the U.S. Congress, lobbying, media and the Presidency...
in 2009, "It's no secret at all that I'm counted among the LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
crowd." Her partner is Viola Canales
Viola Canales
Viola Canales is an American writer originally from McAllen, Texas. She has published a short story collection, Orange Candy Slices and Other Secret Tales , and a novel, The Tequila Worm for which she won the Pura Belpré Award in 2006....
.