R. Kent Greenawalt
Encyclopedia
R. Kent Greenawalt is a University Professor
at Columbia Law School
. His primary interests involve constitutional law, especially First Amendment
jurisprudence, and legal philosophy.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, he received a B.A.
from Swarthmore College
in 1958, a B.Phil.
from Oxford University in 1960 and an LL.B.
from Columbia Law School
in 1963. After law school, he clerked for Supreme Court Justice John Harlan
. He joined the Columbia faculty in 1965.
and Jack Greenberg
, Greenawalt was heavily involved in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. He spent one summer working for the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights in Jackson, Mississippi
and from 1966-69 served on the Civil Rights Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. He was also a member of the Due Process Committee of the American Civil Liberties Union
from 1969 to 1971. He then served as Deputy Solicitor General
from 1971-72.
. He was a Visiting Fellow at Clare Hall, Cambridge
(1972–73) and Visiting Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford
(1979). He is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
and was President of the American Society for Political and Legal Philosophy
from 1991-93.
University Professor (Columbia)
University Professor is the highest academic rank at Columbia University.-University Professors:*Richard Axel, molecular biology and neuroscience*Jagdish Bhagwati, economics and law*Ronald Breslow, organic chemistry...
at Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States. A member of the Ivy League, Columbia Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Columbia University in New York City. It offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in...
. His primary interests involve constitutional law, especially 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...
jurisprudence, and legal philosophy.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, he received a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
in 1958, a B.Phil.
Bachelor of Philosophy
Bachelor of Philosophy is the title of an academic degree. The degree usually involves considerable research, either through a thesis or supervised research projects...
from Oxford University in 1960 and an LL.B.
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
from Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States. A member of the Ivy League, Columbia Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Columbia University in New York City. It offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in...
in 1963. After law school, he clerked for Supreme Court Justice John Harlan
John Harlan
John Harlan may refer to:*John Marshall Harlan US Supreme Court Justice, 1877–1911*John Marshall Harlan II , his grandson, US Supreme Court Justice, 1955–1971*John Harlan , American television announcer-See also:...
. He joined the Columbia faculty in 1965.
Civil Rights
Like fellow Columbia Law graduates Constance Baker MotleyConstance Baker Motley
Constance Baker Motley was an African American civil rights activist, lawyer, judge, state senator, and President of Manhattan, New York City.-Early Life and Academics:...
and Jack Greenberg
Jack Greenberg
Jack Greenberg may refer to:* Jack Greenberg , American civil-rights figure* Jack M. Greenberg, executive...
, Greenawalt was heavily involved in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. He spent one summer working for the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights in Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
and from 1966-69 served on the Civil Rights Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. He was also a member of the Due Process Committee of the American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
from 1969 to 1971. He then served as Deputy Solicitor General
United States Solicitor General
The United States Solicitor General is the person appointed to represent the federal government of the United States before the Supreme Court of the United States. The current Solicitor General, Donald B. Verrilli, Jr. was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 6, 2011 and sworn in on June...
from 1971-72.
Academic career
Greenawalt has taught at Columbia since 1965 in both the law school and department of philosophy. He has also taught at Princeton UniversityPrinceton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. He was a Visiting Fellow at Clare Hall, Cambridge
Clare Hall, Cambridge
Clare Hall is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It is a college for advanced study, admitting only postgraduate students.Informality is a defining value at Clare Hall and this contributes to its unique character...
(1972–73) and Visiting Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford
All Souls College, Oxford
The Warden and the College of the Souls of all Faithful People deceased in the University of Oxford or All Souls College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England....
(1979). He is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
and was President of the American Society for Political and Legal Philosophy
American Society for Political and Legal Philosophy
The American Society for Political and Legal Philosophy, or ASPLP, is a learned society founded in 1955 by political theorist Carl Friedrich. The ASPLP's annual thematic conferences form the foundation for the Nomos series. The ASPLP operates according to a distinctive three-discipline structure...
from 1991-93.
Selected publications
- Conflicts of Law and Morality (1987)
- Religious Convictions and Political Choice (1988)
- Speech, Crime, and the Uses of Language (1989)
- Law and Objectivity (1992)
- Fighting Words (1995)
- Rationales for Freedom of Speech (1995)
- Private Consciences and Public Reasons (1995)
- Does God Belong in Public Schools? (2005)