Pamela S. Karlan
Kenneth and Harle Montgomery Professor of Public Interest Law
Pamela S. Karlan is the Kenneth and Harle Montgomery Professor of Public Interest Law and Co-Director of the Stanford Supreme Court Litigation Clinic. She is one of the nation's foremost experts on voting rights and constitutional litigation. She served as Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice from 2021 to 2022. Before joining Stanford in 1998, she taught at the University of Virginia and clerked for Justice Harry Blackmun of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Teaching Style
Professor Karlan is renowned for her sharp, fast-paced Socratic method. She cold-calls intensively and expects students to have a thorough command of the cases and doctrinal frameworks. Her questioning can be relentless but is always aimed at pushing students to deeper understanding. She draws extensively on her experience as a Supreme Court litigator and her government service to bring constitutional law to life.
Cold Call Tips
- 1Know the cases cold -- Karlan expects precise knowledge of holdings, reasoning, and dissents
- 2Be prepared for rapid-fire follow-up questions that probe the logical implications of your answers
- 3Understand the procedural posture of each case and how it affects the legal analysis
- 4Study the evolution of voting rights doctrine and equal protection jurisprudence in depth
Areas of Expertise
Education
- B.A., Yale University (History)
- M.A., Yale University (History)
- J.D., Yale Law School
Notable Publications
- The Law of Democracy: Legal Structure of the Political Process (casebook)
- Constitutional Law (casebook)
Research Interests
More Professors at Stanford Law School
Intellectual Property, Patent Law, Antitrust, Law and Technology
Constitutional Law, First Amendment, Church and State, Separation of Powers
Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Sentencing, Law and Literature
Family Law, Employment Discrimination, Race and the Law
Constitutional Law, Election Law, Law of Democracy, Technology and Governance
Constitutional Law, Legislation and Statutory Interpretation, Sexuality and the Law