Harvard Law School Professors William J. Stuntz and Elizabeth Warren are amongst the new class of members elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious scholarly societies. Members are chosen on the basis of “preeminent contributions to their disciplines and to society at large.”
“Induction into the American Academy recognizes scholarly excellence and importance, and I am delighted that Bill Stuntz and Elizabeth Warren have been so honored this year,” said Dean Elena Kagan ’86. “Both are visionary scholars doing work that addresses some of the most critical issues facing society today. Bill’s work on crime and policing and Elizabeth’s work on bankruptcy and credit issues have had a transformative effect on their fields. Harvard Law School is privileged to have these two great scholars — and, perhaps not coincidentally, spectacular teachers — on its faculty.”
Stuntz joined the HLS faculty in 2000 and writes about a wide range of criminal justice issues. His work is known for its unique approach of analyzing empirical research and drawing conclusions about the effectiveness of existing legal policies. He is currently writing a book about trends in crime punishment and policing in Iraq and the U.S. titled Fighting Crime. Named the Henry J. Friendly Professor of Law in 2006, Stuntz received the 2004 Sacks-Freund Award for excellence in teaching.
A member of the Harvard Law faculty since 1995, Warren is the Leo Gottlieb Professor of Law and writes about bankruptcy and credit issues facing middle-class Americans. She has recently called for the creation of a financial products safety commission, which would regulate credit products in the same way the government regulates other consumer goods. She frequently testifies before Congress about proposals to change the way lenders relate to consumers. Warren is the author of The Two Income Trap: Why Middle-Class Mothers and Fathers are Going Broke, and she was selected to receive the Sacks-Freund Award in 1997.
The new class of Academy members, which also includes Mark Kelman ’76 and Rick Pildes ’84, will be inducted at a ceremony on October 11, at the Academy’s headquarters in Cambridge, Mass.
Other members of the HLS faculty who have been selected as fellows 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, Charles Haar LL.B. ’48, Morton Horwitz LL.B. ’67, Dean Elena Kagan ’86, Benjamin Kaplan, Louis Kaplow ’81, Duncan Kennedy, Randall Kennedy, Daniel Meltzer ’75, Frank Michelman LL.B. ’60, Martha Minow, Robert Mnookin LL.B. ’68, Steven Shavell, Cass Sunstein ’78 (newly appointed), Laurence Tribe ’66, Mark Tushnet, and Roberto Mangabeira Unger LL.M. ’70 S.J.D. ’76.
A list of newly elected fellows and honorary foreign members with their affiliations can be found on the Academy’s website.