Tom Ginsburg

Tom Ginsburg is the Leo Spitz Distinguished Service Professor of International Law and Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago. He holds a PhD and JD from the University of California, Berkeley. His research focuses on comparative and international law, with expertise in constitutional design, democratic governance, and legal institutions. He co-directs the Comparative Constitutions Project, funded by the NSF, analyzing global constitutional trends since 1789. Awards include multiple best book prizes and membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Education: PhD in Jurisprudence and Social Policy (1999), JD (1997), and BA in Asian Studies (1989) from UC Berkeley.

Research Interests: Ginsburg’s work bridges law and political science, emphasizing constitutional endurance, democratic backsliding, and transnational legal influences. Recent publications include *Democracies and International Law* (2021) and *How to Save a Constitutional Democracy* (2018). His analyses often address how constitutions function as political insurance and the interplay between domestic and international law.

Articles Trends: Focus on AI-driven legal analysis, democratic procedures in constitutional reforms, and the role of religion in legal systems. Recent work critiques authoritarian uses of international law and explores machine learning applications in human rights studies.

Awards: Highlighted prizes include the APSA’s C. Herman Pritchett Award (2003) and the International Society of Constitutional Law’s Best Book Award (2018). His work frequently appears in top law and political science journals.

Advising & Grants: Ginsburg advises international organizations like International IDEA and has led NSF-funded projects. He co-founded the Forum on Free Inquiry and Expression at UChicago, emphasizing academic freedom.

Labs/Teams: Central to his work is the Comparative Constitutions Project, a collaborative effort digitizing and analyzing global constitutions. He also collaborates with the Malyi Center for the Study of Institutional and Legal Integrity.