New York University Law Professor to become the School’s 12th Dean.

Friday May 7, 2004, certainly ranks as one of Larry Kramer’s best days ever. The book that he had been working on for 10 years was finally published, and he got the call he had been hoping for from Stanford University Provost John Etchemendy conveying President John Hennesy’s offer of the Law School deanship. It wasn’t quite the trifecta, but it sure came close. The two events are more closely connected than chance might indicate. “I wouldn’t do this job had I not finished the book,” said Kramer. “I set some goals for myself,” and one of them was completing The People Themselves: Popular Constitutionalism and Judicial Review. 

In fact, Kramer did say no three years ago when he was being considered for the deanship at his alma mater, the University of Chicago Law School. He withdrew because “I had to finish that book. I knew I wouldn’t be able to while I was Dean.” 

But the book is now out, and on September 1 Kramer will succeed Kathleen M. Sullivan as the 12th Dean in Stanford Law School’s 111- year history. He will also become the Richard E. Lang Professor of Law. 

By all indications, the 45-year-old constitutional law scholar was a popular choice. “I have known Larry Kramer from the very start of my legal career,” said Lawrence Lessig, Professor of Law and John A. Wilson Distinguished Faculty Scholar. “If we must give up Kathleen Sullivan, then there is absolutely no one else I would rather see replace her. He has strong values, a good ear, and a powerful capacity to lead.” 

Before accepting the job, Kramer was Associate Dean for Research and Academics and Russell D. Niles Professor of Law at New York University. He is married to artist Sarah Delson and they have a 3-year-old daughter. He has written extensively in the areas of constitutional law and history, federal courts, conflict of laws, and civil procedure. 

“Professor Kramer is a dynamic and thoughtful legal scholar and educator,” said Stanford President John Hennessy. “This combination of outstanding scholarship and commitment to training the next generation of lawyers makes him a compelling choice for Stanford Law School, because those values are at the core of the School’s mission. I am delighted that he will be joining the University’s senior academic leadership and building on Kathleen’s legacy.” 

Kramer graduated from Brown University in 1980 with a BA in psychology and religious studies. He then went to the University of Chicago Law School, where he graduated magna cum laude and Order of the Coif in 1984. Kramer clerked for Judge Henry J. Friendly of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and then for U.S. Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan. He joined the faculty at the University of Chicago Law School in 1986, becoming a full professor in 1990. Kramer moved to the University of Michigan Law School in 1991, and to NYU in 1994. 

The People Themselves, published by Oxford University Press, reexamines the founding of the nation and the creation of the Constitution. In it Kramer argues strongly that the people, not just the judiciary, played a strong role in interpreting the Constitution in the early years of the nation’s history, and should do so once again. He calls his view of the Constitution and the role of the judiciary a democratic one—with a small “d.” 

Sullivan announced last October that she would complete her tenure as Dean this summer. At that time, Hennessy asked Sullivan to serve as the inaugural Director of a new Stanford Center on Constitutional Law. Upon completing a one-year sabbatical, she will return as Stanley Morrison Professor of Law and Director of the center. 

“Professor Kramer brings strong academic values and exciting new ideas from his experience at three great law schools, where he has worked with a string of great deans,” Sullivan said. “In an increasingly competitive race to attract and retain the best faculty and students, his comparative experience will be invaluable. We have long sought to persuade him to join our faculty. That he now will join us as Dean is an added windfall.”