The Stanford Constitutional Law Center was founded in 2006. Since its inception, it has focused particularly on the separation and scope of legislative, executive, and judicial powers; the structure of constitutional democracy; elections and voting; the freedoms of speech, press, and religion; and the role of history in constitutional interpretation. In 2009 Michael W. McConnell, Richard and Frances Mallery Professor of Law, became faculty director of the Center.

The Stanford Constitutional Law Center grows out of the long and distinguished tradition of constitutional law scholarship at Stanford Law School. It seeks to carry on this tradition through a program of conferences, lectures, informal “Constitutional Conversations,” and fellowships. The Center has no politics and takes no sides on controversial cases—but it is committed to the rule of law and the idea that the Constitution can be studied and interpreted objectively in light of its text, history, and purposes. It advances this mission through events and activities that foster scholarship, generate public discussion, and provide opportunities for students and scholars to engage in analysis of the Constitution across the ideological spectrum.