Constitutional Law Expert Michael Gerhardt
Like other Carolina Law professors, Michael Gerhardt’s knowledge enlightens more than the students he teaches. He has applied his research and scholarship broadly outside UNC: informing congressional decisions about U.S. Supreme Court nominees, advising White House officials and serving as a resource on North Carolina legislative issues.
Special Counsel for SCOTUS Nominations
A leading constitutional scholar,
Gerhardt has been asked by the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to be special
counsel for the Supreme Court nominations of Justices Neil Gorsuch, Elena Kagan
and Sonia Sotomayor. He also participated in confirmation hearings for Justices
Samuel Alito, John Roberts and Stephen Breyer.
“Professionals, especially academics, should not be cut off from the real
world. Those of us who count ourselves among genuine legal scholars study the
law, research the law, write critically about the law, and hopefully do what we
can to upgrade the quality of legal practice,” Gerhardt says. “As a teacher, I
am a model for my students and a representative of the law school. I try to
show my students how to be a professional devoted to helping the people in
power understand their responsibilities and exercise them better.”
Scholar-in-Residence at the National Constitution Center
Gerhardt also is making an impact on
wide-ranging initiatives related to the Constitution. He is director of content
and scholar-in-residence for the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia,
which offers exhibitions and programs to raise awareness about the
Constitution. And he’s the first independent scholar selected to advise Library
of Congress officials as they update the Constitution Annotated, required by
Congress every 10 years.
“The work that is done on (the annotation) must be, like the work I do for the
National Constitution Center, even-handed, neutral and independent. Our work
must not only withstand the test of time but be beyond reproach,” says
Gerhardt, who received the Distinguished Service Award from the Association of
Yale Alumni in 2008.
Public Service Outside the Classroom
His public service work has
influenced North Carolina issues in multiple ways. As a law professor more than
30 years ago during the administration of Gov. Jim Martin, Gerhardt testified
in favor of giving North Carolina’s chief executive the power to veto
legislation. Now he is a member of North Carolina’s advisory committee to the
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and has served on North Carolina Bar Association
committees.
Gerhardt’s work outside academia has benefited Carolina Law students by making
him a better teacher and scholar. “I believe using my expertise to help our
community, state and nation fulfills the mission of UNC and its law school,” he
says. “My knowledge of the subjects I teach is not based on a book. It is based
on real-world experience and immersion in the subject matter.”
-October 16, 2017