July 27, 2022 – Stanford Law School (SLS) today announced that Jennifer M. Chacón will join its faculty as a Professor of Law. Chacón’s areas of expertise include constitutional law, criminal law and procedure, critical race theory, and immigration law. She is the co-author of the immigration law textbook Immigration Law and Social Justice and the coauthor of a forthcoming book on the impact of shifting immigration policies on immigrant communities and organizations in Southern California from 2014 to 2017. Chacón has written dozens of articles, book chapters, and essays on immigration, criminal law, constitutional law, and citizenship issues. Her research has been funded by the Russell Sage Foundation, the National Science Foundation, and the University of California. Most recently, Chacón was a Professor of Law at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. 

“I am truly honored and delighted to have the opportunity to join the community of students, faculty, and staff at Stanford Law School,” said Chacón. “SLS has long been a place where people come together to think about law in a very policy-oriented way.  Joining this community provides me with an exciting, new place to work with other people interested in understanding contemporary legal restrictions on human mobility.  I look forward to thinking with them about how to engage effectively in broader, collective efforts break these barriers down.”

“We are excited to welcome Jennifer to our SLS community,” said Jenny Martinez, dean and Richard E. Lang Professor of Law. “Jennifer is an excellent teacher and mentor to her students as well as an exceptional scholar. Her unique combination of legal expertise will continue to amplify our cross-disciplinary teaching efforts with our students at the law school and across the Stanford campus.” 

Before joining the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, Chacón was previously a professor at the UCLA School of Law and UC Davis School of Law, and the Chancellor’s Professor of Law, and the Senior Associate Dean for Administration at the University of California, Irvine, School of Law. 

Chacόn also held appointments as a Visiting Professor of Law at Stanford Law School (2015-2016) and at Harvard Law School (2014-2015). She has received student-sponsored teaching awards from her students at Harvard Law School and the UCLA School of Law.  Prior to teaching, Chacόn was an associate at the New York law firm of Davis Polk and Wardwell after clerking for the Honorable Sidney R. Thomas of the Ninth Circuit (1998-1999). She holds a J.D. from Yale Law School and an A.B. in International Relations from Stanford University. 

About Stanford Law School

Stanford Law School is one of the nation’s leading institutions for legal scholarship and education. Its alumni are among the most influential decision makers in law, politics, business, and high technology. Faculty members argue before the Supreme Court, testify before Congress, produce outstanding legal scholarship and empirical analysis, and contribute regularly to the nation’s press as legal and policy experts. Stanford Law School has established a model for legal education that provides rigorous interdisciplinary training, hands-on experience, global perspective and focus on public service, spearheading a movement for change.