James Toomey

James Toomey is an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Iowa College of Law, with expertise spanning Health Law, Bioethics, Elder Law, and Private Law. He previously served as Assistant Professor at Pace University's Elisabeth Haub School of Law and as a Climenko Fellow at Harvard Law School.

• Education: JD from Harvard (2019, magna cum laude), BA in English (summa cum laude) and Government (magna cum laude) from Cornell (2016).

His research combines philosophical analysis and empirical methods to address questions like gene ownership and legal interventions in dementia-related decision-making. His work appears in top journals such as Virginia Law Review and American Journal of Bioethics – Empirical Bioethics, with a co-edited volume forthcoming from Cambridge University Press.

Recent publications focus on executor discretion in estate law, substituted judgment doctrine, and evolving concepts of religion in constitutional interpretation. He clerked for Judge Stanley Marcus (Eleventh Circuit) and is admitted to the New York bar.

• Scientific Awards: Goettel Prize for Faculty Scholarship (2023).

Teaching includes Property, Trusts & Estates, and Elder Law. His interdisciplinary approach bridges law with psychology, philosophy, and political theory.