Deborah Hellman

Deborah Hellman is a Professor at the University of Virginia School of Law, renowned for her work at the intersection of equal protection law, algorithmic fairness, and campaign finance jurisprudence. She has authored seminal works including When Is Discrimination Wrong? (Harvard University Press, 2008) and co-edited The Philosophical Foundations of Discrimination Law (Oxford, 2013).

• Research Focus: Her scholarship explores how legal principles of equality and anti-discrimination apply to modern challenges like algorithmic decision-making and political corruption.
• Scientific Recognition:
  • AI2050 Prize (2020) for Measuring Algorithmic Fairness
  • Jurisprudence Section Award (AALS, 2020)
  • Fred Berger Memorial Prize (2019) for A Theory of Bribery
• Leadership Roles:
  • President, Nomos: The American Society of Political and Legal Philosophy
  • Associate Editor, Law and Philosophy journal
  • Member, American Law Institute

Recent Publications analyze topics like big data and compounding injustice (2023), political corruption (2024), and antisemitism in higher education (2025). Her work on algorithmic fairness and equal protection continues to shape legal and philosophical discourse.