Jasmine E. Harris

Jasmine E. Harris is Professor of Law at Penn Carey Law School, University of Pennsylvania, where she specializes in disability law, antidiscrimination law, and evidence. She is a leading legal scholar whose work critically examines law’s role in shaping social norms of inclusion and exclusion, particularly for disabled and marginalized populations.

Her educational background includes a B.A. in Latin American & Caribbean Studies from Dartmouth College (magna cum laude) and a J.D. from Yale Law School. She clerked for Judge Harold Baer, Jr. of the Southern District of New York and has experience in both private practice and public interest law, including roles at WilmerHale and Advancement Project.

Harris’s research focuses on disability justice, legal capacity, consent, and the intersection of race and disability. She employs critical legal theory to analyze evidentiary rules and civil rights doctrines. Her recent publications appear in top law journals such as Columbia Law Review, NYU Law Review, and University of Pennsylvania Law Review. She is a co-editor of the influential treatise McCormick on Evidence and is working on a co-edited volume titled Critical Evidence Law.

Her scholarship reveals a consistent focus on structural inequality, with recurring themes including conservatorship, accessibility, sexual autonomy, and the limits of legal reform. She frequently engages in public scholarship, writing for outlets like the New York Times, Ms. Magazine, and TIME, and is regularly cited in national media.

• A. Leo Levin Award for Excellence in Teaching at Penn Carey Law

Harris is actively involved in legal advocacy and policy reform. She serves on the Board of Directors for The Arc of the United States and chairs its Legal Advocacy Subcommittee. She is a member of the American Law Institute, serves on the Steering Committee for the National Smithsonian Museum of Disability History and Culture, and was appointed Co-Reporter for the Third Circuit’s Committee on Model Civil Jury Instructions. She has advised federal and state lawmakers and contributed amicus briefs to the Supreme Court.

Harris leads and participates in interdisciplinary teams focused on disability justice and legal reform. Her work bridges academia, policy, and grassroots advocacy, particularly through collaborations with civil rights organizations and public education initiatives.