Carolyn Shapiro

Previously, Professor Shapiro served as the Solicitor General of Illinois, where she oversaw a team of over 40 lawyers, oversaw all briefs filed on behalf of the State of Illinois in federal appeals courts and the Illinois Supreme Court, and personally argued seven appeals. She has been a faculty member at the Chicago-Kent College of Law since 2003. At Chicago-Kent, she co-directs the Institute on the Supreme Court of the United States, offers courses on constitutional law, legislation, and public interest law, and directs the public interest certificate program. Earlier in her career, Professor Shapiro was a Skadden Fellow at the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, a civil rights attorney at Miner, Barnhill & Galland, and a visiting scholar at the American Bar Foundation. She clerked for Justice Stephen Breyer on the Supreme Court of the United States, and Chief Judge Richard Posner on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

Professor Shapiro’s scholarship focuses on the Supreme Court and its relationships with other government institutions, as well as on constitutional law, employment law, and empirical legal studies. Her scholarship has appeared in numerous publications, including Washington & Lee Law Review, Hastings Law Journal, Florida State Law Review, William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal, and Chicago-Kent Law Review.

Additionally, Professor Shapiro is active in a number of civic and scholarly organizations, including the American Constitution Society, where she serves on the Board of Advisors of State Attorneys General Project, as well as on the Board of Advisors of the Chicago Lawyers’ Chapter. Professor Shapiro also regularly provides commentary about current legal events on news and public affairs television programs and to print and on-line news outlets. Her op-eds and blog posts have appeared in a variety of outlets, including CNN.com, The Hill, Slate, Take Care Blog, and the ACS Blog.