Akhil Reed Amar

Winner of the Barry Prize, 2024

The prize citation for Prof. Amar’s Barry Prize reads:

Through contributions whose influence spans the academy, the legal profession, government and popular discourse, Akhil Reed Amar has deepened America’s understanding of its constitutional system of government. The combination of extraordinary erudition and his gift for enlightening audiences has established him as one of the most-cited legal scholars of all time as well as a leading contributor to public understanding of constitutional law. The Academy honors Professor Amar’s distinguished contributions to humanity’s ongoing pursuit of justice and the Rule of Law.

Akhil Reed Amar is Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale University, where he teaches constitutional law in both Yale College and Yale Law School. Amar’s work has won awards from both the American Bar Association and the Federalist Society, and he has been cited by Supreme Court justices across the spectrum in more than four dozen cases – the highest number among non-emeritus scholars. He regularly testifies before Congress at the invitation of both parties. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and has written widely for popular publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Time, and The Atlantic. He is Yale’s only living professor to have won the University’s unofficial triple crown – the Sterling Chair for scholarship, the DeVane Medal for teaching, and the Lamar Award for alumni service.

October 2024