Paul D. Halliday

Paul D. Halliday is the Julian Bishko Professor of History and Professor of Law at the University of Virginia, jointly appointed in the Department of History within the College of Arts and Sciences and the Law School. He is a leading scholar in legal history, with a focus on British, imperial, and global legal developments from 1500 to 1850.

• BA, Wesleyan University, 1983
• MA, University of Chicago, 1988
• PhD, University of Chicago, 1993

His research centers on the history of legal institutions, particularly habeas corpus, judicial authority, and the role of law in empire. Halliday challenges traditional narratives by emphasizing how judicial power evolved from royal prerogative rather than as a check on monarchy. His work bridges legal doctrine, archival practice, and material culture, with current projects exploring the sensory and spatial dimensions of law, including courthouse architecture and archival procedures.

His publications reveal a consistent engagement with themes of liberty, authority, and legal continuity across time and space. Notably, his book Habeas Corpus: From England to Empire (2010) has had a profound impact, influencing the U.S. Supreme Court in Boumediene v. Bush (2008), and reshaping scholarly understanding of habeas corpus as a tool of imperial governance. His recent work extends into South Asian and Caribbean legal histories, emphasizing global legal interconnectedness.

• Inner Temple Book Prize (2011) for Habeas Corpus: From England to Empire
• Sutherland Prize, American Society for Legal History (2009) for co-authored Virginia Law Review article

At UVA, Halliday teaches courses such as History of English Law, Law’s Empire, and Global Legal History. He advises graduate students in legal history and is a core member of GLH@UVA (Global Legal History at the University of Virginia), an interdisciplinary community that includes faculty and students from history and law. This group fosters collaborative research, professional development, and regular discussions on works in progress, contributing to a vibrant intellectual environment.