Joshua A. Douglas is an American legal scholar. Douglas earned his Bachelor of Arts from

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

and his

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from

George Washington University Law School The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is the law school of George Washington University, a Private university, private research university in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest law school in Washington, D. ...

. He clerked for Edward C. Prado and joined the Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld law firm before starting his teaching career at the

University of Kentucky College of Law The University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law, also known as UK Rosenberg College of Law, is the law school of the University of Kentucky located in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded initially from a law program at Transylvania Univers ...

in 2010. He was granted an associate professorship at the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

in 2014, where he first held the Robert G. Lawson & William H. Fortune Associate Professorship of Law. Douglas founded a blog for UK's Election Law Society during the

2014 United States elections Elections were held in the United States on November 4, 2014, in the middle of Democratic President Barack Obama's second term. A typical six-year itch midterm election suffered by most second-term presidents, this election saw the Republican ...

. During the 2014 election cycle, the

2015 Kentucky elections A general election was held in the U.S. state of Kentucky on November 3, 2015. All of Kentucky's executive officers were up for election. Primary elections were held on May 19, 2015. Governor and Lieutenant Governor Incumbent Democratic Gove ...

, and the

2016 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 8, 2016. The Republican Party (United States), Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana Governor, Indiana governor Mike P ...

, he oversaw the university's student-led live election analysis. By 2019, Douglas had been appointed to the Thomas P. Lewis Professorship of Law. In 2020, he was named Ashland, Inc-Spears Distinguished Research Professor of Law. Douglas is an elected member of the

American Law Institute The American Law Institute (ALI) is a research and advocacy group of judges, lawyers, and legal scholars limited to 3,000 elected members and established in 1923 to promote the clarification and simplification of United States common law and i ...

. Douglas is the author of ''Vote for US: How to Take Back our Elections and Change the Future of Voting'', a popular press book that provides hope and inspiration for a positive path forward on voting rights. His next book is titled ''The Court vs. The Voters: The Troubling Story of How the Supreme Court Has Undermined Voting Rights'', which is an urgent and gripping look at the erosion of voting rights and its implications for democracy, told through the stories of 9 Supreme Court decisions—and the next looming case. He is also the host and writer o
Democracy Optimist
a radio series and podcast that explores election law and voting rights. In 2025, Democracy Optimist won a regiona
Edward R. Murrow Award
for Best Podcast.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Joshua Members of the American Law Institute George Washington University Law School alumni Year of birth missing (living people) American legal scholars Living people University of Kentucky faculty