Norman Williams is the Ken & Claudia Peterson Professor of Law. He joined the Willamette law faculty in 2001. Williams teaches Constitutional Law I, Constitutional Law II, Election Law, and a seminar on the U.S. Supreme Court. In addition, Williams also serves as the Director of the Willamette Center for Constitutional Government.
Williams graduated summa cum laude from New York University School of Law, where he was the Senior Articles Editor of the NYU Law Review. After graduation, Williams clerked for Judge Patrick Higginbotham of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. From 1996 to 2001, he practiced in New York City at Mayer, Brown & Platt. A member of the firm’s U.S. Supreme Court and Appellate Practice Group, Williams handled numerous appeals in the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Court of Appeals, and various state appellate courts.
A nationally renowned scholar of both the presidential election process and the scope of federal and state authority under the federal Commerce Clause, Williams has published numerous law review articles in leading law reviews, such as the Stanford Law Review, New York University Law Review, Georgetown Law Journal, and Notre Dame Law Review, among others. He is also the recipient of the Robert Misner Award for Faculty Scholarship.
In addition to his administrative and teaching responsibilities, Williams serves on several charitable boards and is regularly interviewed by national media outlets, including the New York Times. He is a former President of the Oregon Law Foundation, and he currently serves on several Oregon state bar committees.
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