Noah Feldman

Noah Feldman
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Name	Noah Feldman
Birth date	1970
Occupation	Law professor, author, attorney
Nationality	American

Noah Feldman is an American legal scholar, professor, author, and public intellectual known for his work on constitutional law, comparative constitutionalism, and religion and public life. He has held academic posts at prominent universities, written widely for newspapers and magazines, served as a government economic and legal adviser, and authored books on the United States Constitution, Islamic law, and modern political thought. Feldman's scholarship bridges historical, doctrinal, and comparative approaches and he frequently appears in public forums to comment on legal and political issues.

Early life and education

Feldman was born in 1970 and raised in an environment shaped by discussions of Jewish thought and American civic life, with influences from figures and institutions such as Princeton University, Harvard University, University of Chicago, Yale University, and Columbia University visible in his career trajectory. He completed his undergraduate studies at Yale University where he studied with scholars connected to Harvard Law School and the broader networks of Ivy League institutions. Feldman earned his Juris Doctor at Harvard Law School and studied under leading constitutional and legal theorists associated with United States Supreme Court clerks and judicial scholars who have worked with justices such as Antonin Scalia and Stephen Breyer. He later pursued graduate work in philosophy and comparative law that connected him to debates associated with Cambridge University, Oxford University, and Hebrew University of Jerusalem scholars.

Academic career and teaching

Feldman has held faculty positions at several prominent law schools, joining faculties that include Harvard Law School, New York University School of Law, and Yale Law School affiliates in visiting roles. He became a professor at Harvard University and subsequently accepted a chair at New York University, where he taught courses linking the American constitutional order to comparative frameworks involving scholars from France, Germany, Israel, and countries in the Middle East. His teaching engaged texts and figures such as James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Marshall, Woodrow Wilson, Ronald Dworkin, and H.L.A. Hart, and sought dialogue with comparative work by scholars connected to Max Planck Institute, European Court of Human Rights, and national constitutional courts like the Supreme Court of Israel and the Supreme Court of the United States. Feldman has supervised doctoral and law students who went on to clerk for judges on circuits including the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the United States Supreme Court.

Scholarship and major works

Feldman’s scholarship covers constitutional law, constitutional history, Islamic law, and the interaction of religion and state. He authored books and essays that engage historical sources such as the Federalist Papers and cases like Marbury v. Madison, and comparative studies involving legal regimes in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, and Egypt. Major works include books addressing the construction of constitutional order drawing on figures like Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and legal philosophers such as John Locke and Immanuel Kant. His writings examine topics connected to documents such as the U.S. Constitution, the Magna Carta, and modern instruments like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Feldman has also written on Islamic jurisprudence with reference to jurists from Al-Azhar University, the role of institutions like Sharia courts, and reform debates involving scholars from Aga Khan University and Qatar University.

Public commentary and media appearances

Feldman is a frequent contributor to newspapers and periodicals and a guest on broadcast outlets, engaging current events involving political leaders and institutions such as Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and foreign leaders like Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Mohammed Morsi. He has written essays for outlets associated with the New York Times, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, and The Washington Post and appeared on networks including CNN, MSNBC, BBC, and PBS. Feldman’s commentary often references landmark cases from the Supreme Court of the United States and international bodies like the European Court of Human Rights, placing contemporary disputes in conversation with historical episodes such as the Civil Rights Movement and events like the September 11 attacks.

Legal practice and government service

Feldman has experience in legal practice and government advising, including roles that intersect with financial and regulatory institutions such as the U.S. Treasury Department and advisory positions relating to reconstruction and constitutional design in countries affected by conflict, involving engagement with governments in Iraq, Libya, and other states undergoing transitions. He has served as counsel and advisor in matters that touch on litigation strategies before tribunals like the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and administrative agencies connected to regulatory frameworks in New York City and federal agencies. Feldman’s practical work complements his academic focus on constitutional design and the drafting of legal instruments comparable to national constitutions and statutes such as the Patriot Act.

Awards, honors, and affiliations

Feldman has received fellowships, awards, and visiting professorships affiliated with institutions such as the MacArthur Foundation, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, The Brookings Institution, The Hoover Institution, and research centers at Harvard University and New York University. He has been elected to academic societies and served on advisory boards for organizations including the Council on Foreign Relations, and he has been recognized with honors that place him among recipients connected to scholarly prizes and named chairs held by academics at leading institutions like Columbia University and Stanford University.

Category:American legal scholars Category:Living people