Noah Feldman, Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, and an expert in constitutional studies, international law, and the history of legal theory, has been elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, joining some of the world’s most accomplished leaders from academia, business, public affairs, humanities, and the arts.
“Noah’s election to this distinguished academy is so overwhelmingly deserved,” said Martha Minow, dean of Harvard Law School. “His extraordinary knowledge in and passion for constitutional law, international law, and legal theory offer daily insights to students, scholars, and public audiences around the world. His ability to frame and communicate complex contemporary legal issues advances public knowledge through superb books and highly informative newspaper columns and blogs. A public intellectual who is also a rigorous scholar and inspiring teacher, Noah exemplifies the values of the scholar-patriots who founded the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.”
Members of the 2015 class include winners of the Nobel Prize and the Pulitzer Prize; MacArthur and Guggenheim Fellowships; and Grammy, Emmy, Oscar, and Tony Awards.
“We are honored to elect a new class of extraordinary women and men to join our distinguished membership,” said Don Randel, Chair of the Academy’s Board of Directors. “Each new member is a leader in his or her field and has made a distinct contribution to the nation and the world. We look forward to engaging them in the intellectual life of this vibrant institution.”
Feldman joined the Harvard Law faculty in 2006 as a professor of law, after teaching at New York University Law School. He is a Senior Fellow of the Society of Fellows at Harvard. In 2003 he served as senior constitutional advisor to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, and subsequently advised members of the Iraqi Governing Council on the drafting of the Transitional Administrative Law or interim constitution.
He is the author of seven books, including “Cool War: The Future of Global Competition” (Random House, 2013); “Scorpions: The Battles and Triumphs of FDR’s Great Supreme Court Justices” (Twelve Publishing, 2010); and “The Fall and Rise of the Islamic State” (Princeton University Press, 2008). He most recently co-authored “Constitutional Law, Eighteenth Edition” (Foundation Press, 2013) with Kathleen Sullivan.
Feldman served as a law clerk to Justice David H. Souter of the U.S. Supreme Court (1998 to 1999) and to Chief Judge Harry T. Edwards of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (1997 to 1998). He received his J.D. from Yale Law School in 1997, serving as Book Reviews Editor of the Yale Law Journal. Feldman received his A.B. summa cum laude in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University in 1992. Selected as a Rhodes Scholar, he earned a D.Phil. in Oriental Studies from Oxford University in 1994.
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences, based in Cambridge, Mass., is one of the nation’s most prestigious honorary societies and a leading center for independent policy research. Members contribute to Academy publications and studies of science and technology policy, energy and global security, social policy and American institutions, the humanities and culture, and education.
Other members of the HLS faculty who have been selected as fellows in previous years, include: Lucian Bebchuk LL.M. ’80 S.J.D. ’84, Victor Brudney, Robert Clark ’72, Richard Fallon, Roger Fisher LL.B. ’48, Charles Fried, Mary Ann Glendon, Jack Goldsmith, Annette Gordon-Reed ’84, Charles Haar LL.B. ’48, Morton Horwitz LL.B. ’67, Vickie Jackson, Elena Kagan ’86, Benjamin Kaplan, Louis Kaplow ’81, Duncan Kennedy, Randall Kennedy, Michael Klarman, John F. Manning `85, Daniel Meltzer ’75, Frank Michelman LL.B. ’60, Martha Minow, Robert Mnookin LL.B. ’68, Gerald L. Neuman ’80, Mark Roe ’75, Steven Shavell, William Stuntz , Cass Sunstein ’78 , Laurence Tribe ’66, Mark Tushnet, Roberto Mangabeira Unger LL.M. ’70 S.J.D. ’76, Adrian Vermeule ’93, Elizabeth Warren, and David Wilkins ’80.
A full list of the new AAA&S members is located here.