Suzanna Sherry (born March 29, 1954) is an American legal scholar in the area of

constitutional law Constitutional law is a body of law which defines the role, powers, and structure of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the parliament or legislature, and the judiciary; as well as the basic rights of citizens and, in ...

with particular emphasis in the subject of federal courts. She is the Herman O. Loewenstein Chair Emerita at the

Vanderbilt University Law School Vanderbilt University Law School (also known as VLS) is the law school of Vanderbilt University. Established in 1874, it is one of the oldest law schools in the southern United States. Vanderbilt Law enrolls approximately 640 students, with each ...

Early life and education

Sherry was born on March 29, 1954, in New York City. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from

Middlebury College Middlebury College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont, United States. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalists, Middlebury w ...

in 1976, where she studied under Murray Dry. She earned a

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 the

University of Chicago Law School The University of Chicago Law School is the Law school in the United States, law school of the University of Chicago, a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. It employs more than 180 full-time and part-time facul ...

in 1979.

Career

After graduating from law school, Sherry served as a law clerk for Judge John Cooper Godbold of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (in case citations, 5th Cir.) is one of the 13 United States courts of appeals. It has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts: ...

. She later worked as an associate at Miller Cassidy Larroca & Lewin in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

From 1982 to 2000, she was on the faculty of the

University of Minnesota Law School The University of Minnesota Law School is the law school of the University of Minnesota, a public university in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school confers four law degrees: a Juris Doctor (J.D.), a Master of Laws (LL.M.), a Master of Science in Pa ...

. She joined

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...

in 2000. Sherry's primary works are ''Desperately Seeking Certainty: The Misguided Quest for Constitutional Foundations'', ''Beyond All Reason: The Radical Assault on Truth in American Law'', and ''A History of the American Constitution'' (each with Daniel A. Farber of the University of California's

Boalt Hall The University of California, Berkeley School of Law (Berkeley Law) is the law school of the University of California, Berkeley. The school was commonly referred to as "Boalt Hall" for many years, although it was never the official name. This cam ...

). Beginning in 1986, Sherry studied Supreme Court Justice

Sandra Day O'Connor Sandra Day O'Connor (March 26, 1930 – December 1, 2023) was an American attorney, politician, and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1981 to 2006. Nominated by President Ronald Reagan, O' ...

's opinions as a part of research on female jurists. She has published numerous law review articles and essays, including on the topics of constitutional law,

judicial activism Judicial activism is a judicial philosophy holding that courts can and should go beyond the applicable law to consider broader societal implications of their decisions. It is sometimes used as an antonym of judicial restraint. The term usually ...

, and the federal court system. Sherry's work has been published in the ''

Harvard Law Review The ''Harvard Law Review'' is a law review published by an independent student group at Harvard Law School. According to the ''Journal Citation Reports'', the ''Harvard Law Review''s 2015 impact factor of 4.979 placed the journal first out of ...

'', ''

Texas Law Review The ''Texas Law Review'' is a student-edited and -produced law review affiliated with the University of Texas School of Law (Austin). The ''Review'' publishes seven issues per year, six of which include articles, book reviews, essays, commentaries ...

'', ''

Iowa Law Review The ''Iowa Law Review'' is a law review published five times annually by the University of Iowa College of Law. It was established in 1915 as the ''Iowa Law Bulletin''.About Us, ''Iowa Law Review'', http://www.uiowa.edu/~ilr/about.htm It is ranke ...

'', ''

Michigan Law Review The ''Michigan Law Review'' is an American law review and the flagship law journal of the University of Michigan Law School. History The ''Michigan Law Review'' was established in 1902, after Gustavus Ohlinger, a student in the Law Department ...

'', the ''William & Mary Law Review,'' and others. Sherry retired from Vanderbilt in 2022, assuming the position of chair emerita.

Personal life

Sherry is married to Paul Edelman, a professor of law and mathematics, who has authored and collaborated on many quantitative analysis of law and law and economics articles. They have 2 children.

External links

References

American legal scholars Middlebury College alumni University of Chicago Law School alumni Living people American women lawyers American women legal scholars 1954 births Vanderbilt University Law School faculty American women academics {{US-legal-academic-bio-stub