Alan E. Brownstein is Professor of Law and the Boochever and Bird Chair for the Study and Teaching of Freedom and Equality at the UC Davis School of Law (King Hall)

UC Davis School of Law

The University of California Davis School of Law , referred to as UC Davis School of Law and commonly known as King Hall and UC Davis Law, is an American Bar Association approved law school located in Davis, California on the campus of the University of California, Davis. The school received ABA...

. Before becoming a professor, he clerked for Judge Frank M. Coffin

Frank M. Coffin

Frank Morey Coffin was an American politician from Maine and a United States federal judge. He was a Democrat.-Early life, education, and career:...

 of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit

United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit

The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* District of Maine* District of Massachusetts...

. Professor Brownstein is well known for his scholarship on the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment

First Amendment to the United States Constitution

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...

. He has frequently commented on the intersection of religion and civil liberties with regard to marriage equality and Proposition 8

California Proposition 8 (2008)

Proposition 8 was a ballot proposition and constitutional amendment passed in the November 2008 state elections...

. He serves on the legal committee of the ACLU of Northern California.

He received a B.A. in Political Science and Psychology from Antioch College

Antioch College

Antioch College is a private, independent liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States. It was the founder and the flagship institution of the six-campus Antioch University system. Founded in 1852 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1853 with politician and...

 in 1969 and a J.D.

Juris Doctor

Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...

 from Harvard Law School

Harvard Law School

Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...

in 1977.