James Sample

Professor of Law

Degrees

JD, 2003, Columbia University; BA, 1995, Boston Coll

Bio

James Sample is a Professor of Law focusing on issues of Constitutional Law and Democracy. He joined the faculty in 2009, where he teaches courses in Constitutional Law, Federal Courts, Civil Procedure, Administrative Law, and, on occasion, in the university’s Political Science department. On four occasions, graduating students of the law school have chosen him as the school’s Professor of the Year.

His scholarly writing focuses on judicial ethics, campaign finance, voting rights, and constitutional democracy. His public commentaries have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Slate, Newsweek, The National Law Journal and numerous other publications. He also regularly appears as a legal and political analyst on major national and New York news networks including MSNBC, CNN, CBS-NY, and ABC.

Previously, he was counsel in the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU. Before joining the Brennan Center, he worked on Brian Schweitzer's gubernatorial campaign in Montana. He clerked for Judge Sidney R. Thomas of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Professor Sample received his J.D. from Columbia Law School in 2003. While at Columbia, Professor Sample was a Harlan Fiske Stone and James Kent Scholar and a notes editor on the Columbia Law Review.

Professor Sample regularly comments on legal and constitutional issues before governmental committees, on major broadcast outlets, in leading print publications, and at national conferences.

Prior to law school, Professor Sample was a three-time Emmy Award winner for his work as a producer with NBC Sports.