Austin Robert Nelson

Austin Robert Nelson is a Research Fellow at the University of Michigan Law School, where he focuses on U.S. federalism, constitutional law, federal courts, and election law. His research examines historical developments in bankruptcy and contract litigation, particularly the 19th-century constitutional conflicts between state insolvency systems and federal authority.

Education:

• Hendrix College, BA, summa cum laude
• Baylor University, MPPA, with distinction
• University of Texas, JD, with honors (Articles Editor, Texas Law Review)
• University of Texas, PhD, Government

Research Interests: Nelson's work intersects constitutional law, federal jurisdiction, and conflict of laws. He investigates how early federal court rulings on state economic policies shaped modern federalism doctrines, with emphasis on debtor-creditor conflicts in the absence of federal bankruptcy frameworks.

Awards & Fellowships:

• Minority Fellow, American Political Science Association

Professional Experience: Admitted to the Texas Bar; clerked for Judge Lavenski R. Smith (U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit); represented death-row inmate John Henry Ramirez in the landmark Supreme Court case Ramirez v. Collier while at the University of Texas Supreme Court Clinic.