Academic Faculty
Full Time Teaching Faculty
Adam A. Davidson
Assistant Professor of LawBiography
Adam Davidson is an Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School. He researches and teaches primarily in the areas of criminal law and procedure, constitutional law, and the intersection of race and law. His current projects focus on how tools within these and other areas of the law can further debates about reforming or abolishing police, prisons, and the prison industrial complex.
Adam holds a BA in theatre from the Ohio State University and a JD from the University of Chicago. Before joining the faculty, Adam taught at the Law School as a Bigelow Fellow and Lecturer in Law, and served as a law clerk to Judge Guido Calabresi on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, Judge Diane P. Wood on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and Judge James S. Gwin on the Northern District of Ohio.
Education
The University of Chicago Law School
JD, with Honors, June 2017
Activities:
- The University of Chicago Law Review, Articles Editor and Diversity Committee Chair
- Research Assistant – Professor Justin Driver
- Black Law Students Association (Academic Chair); The American Constitution Society (VP of External Affairs); Entertainment and Sports Law Society (Member); Law School Musical (Performer)
Honors and Awards:
- David M. Rubenstein Scholarship (Full Tuition and Stipend), 2014–2017
- Ann Watson Barber Outstanding Service Award, for exceptional contribution to the life of the Law School
- Keystone Professionalism & Leadership Program
The Ohio State University
BA, Theatre, summa cum laude, June 2011
Minors in Business and African American Studies
Student Organizations, Honors and Awards: Morrill Scholars Program Distinction Scholarship (All Expenses and Stipend), 2007–2011; Dean’s List, 2007–2011; Outstanding Contribution to the Ohio State University Department of Theatre, 2008–2010; Black Student Theatre Network (Performer and Webmaster)
Experience
The University of Chicago Law School
Assistant Professor, July 2022–Present
Harry A. Bigelow Teaching Fellow and Lecturer in Law, August 2020–June 2022
Clinical Student, Federal Criminal Justice Clinic, September 2016–June 2017
Practicum Student, Civil Rights Practicum, September 2016–June 2017
The Honorable Guido Calabresi
United States Court of Appeals for Second Circuit, New Haven, CT
Law Clerk, August 2019–August 2020
The Honorable Diane P. Wood
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, Chicago, IL
Law Clerk, August 2018–August 2019
The Honorable James S. Gwin
United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Cleveland, OH
Law Clerk, August 2017–August 2018
Williams & Connolly, LLP
Summer Associate, Summer 2016
United States Attorney’s Office – EDNY
Summer Intern, Summer 2015
Davis Polk & Wardwell
SEO Intern/Summer Corporate Legal Assistant, Summer 2014
Cincinnati Public Schools
Tutor/Substitute Teacher, March 2013–May 2014
Publications
Journal Articles
- "Managing the Police Emergency," 100 North Carolina Law Review 1209 (2022). www
- "Procedural Losses and the Pyrrhic Victory of Abolishing Qualified Immunity," 99 Washington University Law Review 1459 (2022). ssrn
- "Guido Calabresi's "Other Justice Reasons"," 88 University of Chicago Law Review 1625 (2021). www
- "Learning from History in Changing Times: Taking Account of Evolving Marijuana Laws in Federal Sentencing," 83 University of Chicago Law Review 2105 (2016). cu
Presentations
- The University of Chicago Law School, Symposium on Personalized Law: Different Rules for Different People, “Personalized Law, Political Power, and the Dangerous Few” (November 2021)
- The University of Chicago Law School, Black Law Student’s Association and Admissions Office, “Bridge Across the Midway” (May 2021)
- The University of Chicago Law School, Admitted Students Weekend (April 2021)
- University of Michigan Law School, Junior Scholars Conference, “Managing the Police Emergency” (April 2021)
- New York University Law School, American Constitution Society, “Abolition and the Families Harmed by Crime and Criminal Justice” (March 2021)
- The University of Chicago Law School, Federal Criminal Justice Clinic Ten-Year Reunion, “Recent Criminal Justice Cases in the Supreme Court” (Spring 2018)
- The University of Chicago Law School, Black Law Student’s Association, “Succeeding as a Black Law Student” (Fall 2018)
Professional Membership & Affiliations
Admitted: New York State; United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
Service
Referee: The University of Chicago Law Review