Arvind Kurian Abraham

Arvind Abramham profile picture

Arvind Kurian Abraham

S.J.D. Candidate
aabraham at sjd.law.harvard.edu

Dissertation

Resurveying the Wall of Separation of Church and State

My research focuses on the historical development of the concept of separation of church and state in the United States, with particular attention to the social and political forces that shaped Establishment Clause jurisprudence. 

My dissertation investigates three interrelated questions. First, why did the U.S. Supreme Court interpret the Establishment Clause as embodying a “wall of separation” between church and state in 1947? This synchronic inquiry is relevant to the current debates over the meaning and legacy of Everson v. Board of Education. Second, how did state constitutional law contribute to the shaping of Establishment Clause doctrine? This inquiry explores the interplay between state and federal legal traditions, using principles of comparative constitutional law.  Finally, I examine why the Burger Court, which presided over the high point of church-state separation with the creation of the “Lemon test” also facilitate the subsequent weakening of its very own Lemon Test?

The methodology for my dissertation largely involves historical research. This includes primary source analysis and secondary source synthesis. The primary source analysis will predominantly involve the study of the private papers of Supreme Court Justices, including correspondences, bench memos, conference notes, draft opinions, and the briefs of parties filed before the Supreme Court.

Fields of Research and Supervisors

  • American Constitutional Law and History with Professor Michael J. Klarman, Harvard Law School, Principal Faculty Supervisor
  • Comparative Constitutional Law and Methodology with Professor Vicki C. Jackson, Harvard Law School.
  • Historical Methodology and Intellectual History with Professor Sugata Bose, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
  • American Religious Doctrine with Professor Andrew Koppelman, Northwestern University.

Additional Research Interests

  • Comparative Constitutional Law
  • Constitutional Law 
  • Legal History  
  • Law and Religion
  • International Human Rights Law 

Education

  • Harvard Law School, S.J.D. Candidate
  • Harvard Law School, LL.M. 2020
  • NUJS, India., B.A LL.B. (Hons), 2017

Academic Appointments and Fellowships

  • Teaching Fellow, Constitutional Law: Separation of Powers, Federalism, and Fourteenth Amendment, Harvard Law School, Fall 2025
  • Teaching Fellow, Legal Research, Writing, and Analysis I, Harvard Law School Fall, 2025.
  • Teaching Fellow, Introduction to American Law, Harvard Division of Continuing Education, 2025.
  • Teaching Fellow, Law and Philosophy, Harvard Division of Continuing Education, 2025.
  • Graduate Program Fellow, LL.M. Advisor, Harvard Law School, 2025-2026
  • Teaching Fellow, Constitutional Law: Separation of Powers, Federalism, and Fourteenth Amendment, Harvard Law School, Fall 2024.
  • Graduate Program Fellow, Coordinator of the Visiting Scholar/Visiting Researcher Program, Harvard Law School, 2024.
  • Teaching Fellow, Introduction to American Law, Harvard Division of Continuing Education, 2024
  • Teaching Fellow, Law and Philosophy, Harvard Division of Continuing Education, 2024
  • Graduate Program Fellow, LL.M. Advisor, Harvard Law School, 2024-2025
  • Teaching Fellow, Constitutional Law, Harvard Law School, Spring 2024
  • Teaching Fellow, Constitutional Law: Separation of Powers, Federalism, and Fourteenth Amendment, Harvard Law School, Fall 2023
  • Graduate Program Fellow, LL.M. Advisor, Harvard Law School, 2023-2024
  • Graduate Program Fellow, LL.M. Advisor, Harvard Law School, 2022-2023
  • Research Assistant to Justice Rosalie Abella, Harvard Law School, 2022-2023
  • Research Fellow, Laws of Social Reproduction Project, King’s College London, 2021
  • OPEN Fellow, Faculty of Law, University of Oxford, 2021
  • Research Fellow, International Postgraduate Research Program, Harvard Law School 2020-2021

Representative Publications

Additional Information

  • Languages: English (fluent), Malayalam (native)

Last Updated: July 1, 2025