Professors/University of Virginia School of Law

Saikrishna Bangalore Prakash

James Monroe Distinguished Professor of Law

Constitutional LawForeign Relations LawPresidential Powers

Saikrishna Bangalore Prakash is one of the nation's foremost scholars of executive power and constitutional originalism. He has authored more than 80 law review articles and several major books on presidential authority. Before joining UVA in 2009, he was the Herzog Research Professor of Law at the University of San Diego. He is a graduate of Stanford University and Yale Law School, and a member of the American Law Institute.

Teaching Style

Professor Prakash is an originalist scholar who challenges students to engage deeply with constitutional text and history. He employs rigorous Socratic dialogue, frequently pressing students to defend their interpretations against historical evidence and competing originalist arguments. His classes are intellectually demanding, and he expects students to have thoroughly analyzed both the assigned readings and the constitutional provisions at issue.

Cold Call Tips

1Read the constitutional text itself before every class and be prepared to parse specific clauses
2Familiarize yourself with founding-era debates and Federalist Papers referenced in the readings
3Be ready to defend or critique originalist methodology with specific examples
4Prepare to discuss how historical executive practice informs current constitutional debates

Areas of Expertise

Separation of PowersExecutive PowerConstitutional OriginalismPresidential AuthorityForeign Affairs and the Constitution

Education

J.D., Yale Law School
B.A., Stanford University

Notable Publications

The Living Presidency: An Originalist Argument Against Its Ever-Expanding Powers (Harvard)
Imperial from the Beginning: The Constitution of the Original Executive (Yale)
The Presidential Pardon (Harvard University Press)