David Williams

David Williams is the John S. Hastings Professor of Law at Indiana University's Maurer School of Law and serves as Executive Director of the Center for Constitutional Democracy. A Harvard Law Review alum and former clerk to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, he has held positions at the University of Cambridge, European University Institute, and advised global constitutional reform movements.

• B.A., Haverford College (1982)
• J.D., Harvard University (1985)

His research focuses on constitutional design, political violence, and indigenous rights. He has written extensively on Burmese and Liberian constitutional development, including:

• The Mythic Meanings of the Second Amendment (2003)
• Designing Federalism for Burma (2005)
• Liberian constitutional law treatises (2010)

Recent work analyzes post-conflict legal frameworks and ethnic federalism in Myanmar. He has consulted for Burma democracy movements, Liberia's constitutional revision process, and Vietnam's Democratic Party.

Scientific Awards

• Sarah Sears Prize, Harvard Law School (1985)
• Wallace Teaching Award
• Leonard D. Fromm Public Interest Faculty Award
• Indiana University Distinguished Faculty Research Lecturer (2003)

As faculty advisor and constitutional consultant, he has influenced legal reforms in Liberia and Myanmar while teaching courses on American constitutional law and Burmese constitutionalism.