The Constitution is a source of both stability and conflict in American society. Understanding the myriad ways it is interpreted, debated, and implemented is essential for lawyers, who are entrusted to safeguard democratic institutions, civil rights, and the application of justice.
As society evolves, how do lawyers, scholars, and judges understand, interpret, and apply the fundamental principles enshrined in the U.S. Constitution—including the powers of government, the structure of democratic institutions, and individual rights and freedoms?
Columbia Law School is home to an ideologically diverse group of influential constitutional scholars. They lead national conversations about Supreme Court decisions and the overlapping and conflicting authority among federal, state, and local governments. Under the guidance of these faculty members, students develop a thorough understanding of constitutional history and theory, the development and implementation of legislation and regulation, the role of the judiciary as the guardian of rights under the Constitution and civil rights acts, and comparative perspectives on international constitutional frameworks.
Why Columbia?
Learn from some two dozen professors who have served as law clerks on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Gain hands-on experience in clinics and externships with federal judges and prosecutors.
Collaborate with professors and research centers on legal scholarship, advocacy efforts, and amicus briefs that influence the opinions of appeals court judges, including Supreme Court justices.
Engage in discussions and debates convened by the Law School’s Center for Constitutional Governance and Constitutional Democracy Initiative.
Participate in programs at Columbia University’s Knight First Amendment Institute whose mission is to defend the freedoms of speech and the press in the digital age through strategic litigation, research, and public education.
Law Facts: Columbia Law alumni who have defended and interpreted the Constitution as public servants in the upper echelons of government include Ruth Bader Ginsburg ’59, U.S. Supreme Court justice; Eric H. Holder Jr. ’76, former attorney general of the United States; Jeh Johnson ’82, former secretary of Homeland Security; and Donald B. Verrilli Jr. ’83, former solicitor general of the United States.
