Katherine Porter

Katherine Porter is a Professor of Law at the University of California, Irvine School of Law, and a former U.S. Representative for California's 45th congressional district (2019–2025). She specializes in bankruptcy, consumer law, and empirical legal studies. Her academic career includes roles at the University of Iowa College of Law and visiting positions at Harvard and UC Berkeley Law Schools. She holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.A. from Yale University.

Her research focuses on consumer bankruptcy and mortgage foreclosure, highlighted by the 2007 Consumer Bankruptcy Project and the Mortgage Study. She founded UCI Law’s Consumer Protection Clinic and served as independent monitor for California’s $25 billion mortgage settlement (2012–2015). Notable awards include the 2012 Top 100 Lawyers in California and the American Bankruptcy Law Journal’s Editors’ Prize.

Porter’s recent publications include I Swear: Politics Is Messier Than My Minivan (2023) and peer-reviewed articles in Tex. L. Rev., Georgetown L.J., and Cornell L. Rev.. She co-authored Modern Consumer Law (2016) and edited Broke: How Debt Bankrupts the Middle Class (2012).

Her professional service includes roles with the Uniform Law Commission, World Bank, and Federal Judicial Center. She currently teaches Legislation and Statutory Interpretation, and Secured Transactions at UCI Law.