Richard J Ross

Richard J. Ross is a Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, holding appointments in the College of Law, History Department, and Program in Jewish Culture and Society. He serves as the David C. Baum Professor of Law and directs the Illinois Legal History Program and Symposium on Comparative Early Modern Legal History.

Ross earned his BA, JD, and PhD from Yale University, where he was a senior editor of the Yale Law Journal. His research focuses on comparative legal history through three primary themes: early American law in a transatlantic context, legal communications in imperial governance, and the interplay of law and religion in shaping governance. Articles span legal pluralism in British and Iberian America, early modern theological jurisprudence, and colonial legal infrastructure. Recent works include analyses of British-Irish-Indian legal convergence and legal intelligibility between settlers and indigenous peoples.

Scientific Awards:

• 1999 Sutherland Prize Honorable Mention (American Society for Legal History)
• 2013 Carroll P. Hurd Award (University of Illinois College of Law)

As director of the Illinois Legal History Program, Ross fosters interdisciplinary collaboration, organizing biannual symposiums at the Newberry Library in Chicago. His work bridges legal history, religious studies, and imperial governance, emphasizing cross-cultural legal adaptations.