Susan D. Carle

Professor Susan D. Carle of American University Washington College of Law is a leading scholar in civil rights legal history, employment discrimination law, and legal ethics. She has held significant leadership roles, including serving as the law school’s first Associate Dean for Scholarship and chairing the American Association of Law Schools Section on Professional Responsibility.

• JD, Yale Law School (Editor, Yale Law Journal)
• AB, Bryn Mawr College (magna cum laude)

Her research focuses on civil rights legal history, antidiscrimination law, legal ethics, and the sociology of the legal profession. Her recent publications examine judicial restraint, social movement lawyering, and neuroscience in legal responsibility.

Her 15 most recent articles (2019–2025) span topics including:

• Constitutional interpretation and civil rights history
• Ethics in judicial and corporate legal practices
• Intersection of neuroscience and antidiscrimination law
• Professional responsibilities in social media promotion
• Historical analysis of NAACP legal strategies
• Public interest lawyering frameworks

Notable awards include:

• Oxford University Press 2013 publication Defining the Struggle (2014 Liberty Legacy Award winner)
• AALS Best Scholarly Paper Award (2001)
• Kahn National Equal Justice Library Award (2006)