Professor Finkelman Cited in Fisher v. University of Texas Supreme Court Case

Professor Paul Finkelman's book Defending Slavery: Proslavery Thought in the Old South was twice cited by a concurring opinion in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, a case that questions how race may be used in admissions decisions at colleges and universities.

In its decision on the headline-making case, the Supreme Court sent the case back to the lower courts, ordering them to take a new look with a more rigorous standard.

In Defending Slavery, Professor Finkelman presents a representative selection of proslavery thought and includes an introduction that explores the history of slavery and the debate over it. Published in 2003, the volume provides insight into how slavery shaped American history and continues to affect American society.

Professor Finkelman, the President William McKinley Distinguished Professor of Law and Public Policy at Albany Law School, is the author of more than 150 scholarly articles and more than 25 books. He was named the ninth most cited legal historian according to "Brian Leieter's Law School Rankings."

He is an expert in areas such as American legal history, race and the law, the law of slavery, constitutional law and legal issues surrounding baseball.

Professor Finkelman was the chief expert witness in the Alabama Ten Commandments monument case, and his scholarship has also been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court in Van Orden v. Perry (2005) and McDonald v. Chicago (2010). He was also a key witness in the suit over who owned Barry Bonds' 73rd home run ball.