Who We Are

The Social Justice Program's faculty is diverse in subject matter and experience.

Jessica Clarke, Co-Director
Professor of Law

Jessica Clarke’s research focuses on American equality law. She studies constitutional and statutory guarantees of non-discrimination based on traits such as race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion and disability.

Daniel Sharfstein, Co-Director
Professor of Law
Professor of History

Dan Sharfstein's scholarship focuses on the legal history of race in the united States. He received a 2013 Guggenheim Fellowship to support his work on a book-length exploration of post-Reconstruction America, Thunder in the Mountains: The Clash of Two American Legends, Oliver Otis Howard and Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce.

Full-Time Faculty

Lisa Bressman, David Daniels Allen Distinguished Chair of Law is an innovative scholar of administrative law and statutory interpretation.	Ellen Clayton, Craig Weaver Professor of Pediatrics and Professor of Law, whose work addresses law and genetics and bioethics.
Sue Kay , Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, is an expert on criminal procedure and evidence, teaches the Criminal Practice Clinic.	Terry Maroney , Professor of Law, her groundbreaking work on the role of emotion in judging has received both academic praise and national press; she frequently lectures on that issue to judges at the state, federal, and international level.
Sara Mayeux , associate professor of law and professor of history, researches and writes on criminal law and procedure, constitutional law, and American legal history.	Karla McKanders , clinical professor of law, began Vanderbilt’s first Immigration Practice Clinic, in which students represent indigent immigrants in humanitarian cases. Her scholarship focuses on immigration federalism and international systems for processing refugees.
Spring Miller , Assistant Dean for Public Interest and Lecturer in Law, is a former Skadden Fellow who works intensively with students interested in careers in public interest law to help them identify and pursue fellowship opportunities.	Kelly Lise Murray , Instructor in Law, teaches legal writing and serves as the lead investigator/faculty for the National Family Court Project on Housing and Financial Justice, which highlights the intersection of law and financial well-being.
Lauren Rogal , assistant clinical professor of law, launching Vanderbilt’s new Community Enterprise Clinic, in which students will support nonprofit organizations and start-up entrepreneurs.	Edward Rubin, University Professor of Law and Political Science, studies and writes about constitutional law, administrative law and legal theory.
Chris Serkin , Professor of Law, teaches and writes about land use and property law. His provocative scholarship addresses local property law, the Taking Clause, land use regulations and eminent domain.	Ganesh Sitaraman, Professor of Law, whose current research addresses issues in constitutional law and administrative law.
Paige Skiba , Professor of Law, has conducted innovative research in the area of behavioral law and economics and commercial law. Her current research focuses on the causes and consequences of borrowing on high-interest credit, such as payday loans.	Christopher Slobogin , Milton R. Underwood Chair in Law and Professor of Psychiatry, works in the area of criminal law and procedure and has addressed juvenile justice and mental health law.