Mari Matsuda

Mari Matsuda. An American lawyer, law professor, and activist, she is a pioneering scholar in the development of critical race theory and a leading voice on issues of intersectionality, hate speech, and social justice. Her influential work, which often draws from Asian American and feminist legal theory, has profoundly shaped legal academia and civil rights discourse. Matsuda has held tenured professorships at several prestigious institutions, including the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and the Georgetown University Law Center.

Early life and education

Born in 1956 in Hawaii, Matsuda grew up in a state with a complex history of colonialism and a diverse population, experiences that would later inform her scholarly focus on race and power. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where she was a Regents' Scholar. Matsuda then attended Harvard Law School, receiving her Juris Doctor degree. During her time at Harvard Law School, she was involved with the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review, an early indication of her commitment to public interest law and scholarship.

Academic career

Matsuda began her academic career as a professor at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa's William S. Richardson School of Law, where she taught for over a decade. She subsequently joined the faculty at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., further establishing her national reputation. Matsuda also served as a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, holding the inaugural Charles J. Ogletree Jr. Chair. Throughout her career, she has been a visiting professor at institutions such as Stanford Law School and a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences.

Legal scholarship and critical race theory

Matsuda is widely recognized as one of the foundational scholars who co-founded the intellectual movement known as critical race theory, alongside thinkers like Kimberlé Crenshaw, Richard Delgado, and Patricia J. Williams. Her seminal article, "Public Response to Racist Speech: Considering the Victim's Story," was a groundbreaking intervention in First Amendment debates, arguing for legal restrictions on hate speech from the perspective of its targets. She co-authored the influential book Words That Wound: Critical Race Theory, Assaultive Speech, and the First Amendment with Charles R. Lawrence III, Richard Delgado, and Kimberlé Crenshaw. Her other major works, including Where Is Your Body? And Other Essays on Race, Gender and the Law and We Won’t Go Back: Making the Case for Affirmative Action (co-authored with Charles R. Lawrence III), explore themes of intersectionality, affirmative action, and legal storytelling.

Activism and public service

Beyond academia, Matsuda has been deeply engaged in activism and public service, particularly within the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. She has served on the national board of the American Civil Liberties Union and was a founding member of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund. Matsuda has also provided legal counsel and advocacy for various grassroots organizations focused on workers' rights, immigrant rights, and anti-militarism, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. Her service includes appointments to the Hawaii Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

Awards and recognition

Matsuda's contributions to law and social justice have been honored with numerous awards. She is a recipient of the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Medal of Honor from the Association of American Law Schools. The Law and Society Association awarded her the Harry J. Kalven Jr. Prize for distinguished research. She has also been recognized by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund with its Justice in Action Award. Her alma mater, the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, awarded her an honorary doctorate.

Category:American legal scholars Category:Critical race theory Category:Harvard Law School alumni Category:Georgetown University Law Center faculty