Date Chartered: 5/31/1988

Purpose

The Section on Federal Courts seeks to advance knowledge pertaining to the federal courts and the federal system and presents a program of interest to federal courts teachers and scholars at the AALS Annual Meeting.

Bylaws
Leadership
Section Members

Annual Meeting Programs

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

Awards

Best Article Award

The Section on Federal Courts of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) wishes to recognize excellence in legal scholarship by full-time untenured faculty members at AALS member and affiliate schools. The purpose of the award program is to recognize outstanding scholarship in the field of federal courts by untenured faculty members.

Daniel J. Meltzer Award

This Award, which honors the life and work of the late Professor Daniel J. Meltzer, recognizes professors of Federal Courts who have exemplified over the course of their career Professor Meltzer’s excellence in teaching, careful and ground-breaking scholarship, engagement in issues of public importance, generosity as a colleague, and overall contribution to the field of Federal Courts. Eligible nominees are those who are full-time faculty members at AALS member or affiliate schools and have not served as an officer of the Federal Courts Section in the two previous years. It is not required that the award be given out in any particular year, and it may not be given out more frequently

Recipients

YearAward NameRecipientLaw School
2024Best Untenured Article AwardPayvand AhdoutUniversity of Virginia School of Law
2024Daniel J. Meltzer AwardVicki JacksonHarvard Law School
2024Daniel J. Meltzer AwardJudith ResnikYale Law School
2023Best Untenured Article AwardBenjamin JohnsonThe Pennsylvania State University – Penn State Law
2022Best Article AwardRachel BayefskyUniversity of Virginia School of Law
2021Best Article AwardMerritt McAlisterUniversity of Florida Fredric G. Levin College of Law
2021Daniel J. Meltzer AwardRichard FallonHarvard Law School
2021Daniel J. Meltzer AwardMartin RedishNorthwestern University Pritzker School of Law
2020Best Article AwardMaggie GardnerCornell Law School
2018Daniel J. Meltzer AwardDavid ShapiroHarvard Law School
2018Daniel J. Meltzer AwardHenry MonaghanColumbia Law School
2017Best Article AwardRichard M. ReUniversity of California, Los Angeles School of Law
2016Best Article AwardSamuel L. BrayUniversity of California, Los Angeles School of Law
2015Best Article AwardSeth DavisUniversity of California, Irvine
2014Best Article AwardPaul R. GugliuzzaBoston University School of Law
2013Best Article AwardTara Leigh GroveWilliam & Mary Law School

Honorable Mentions

YearAward NameRecipientLaw School
2024Best Untenured Article AwardMatthew ShapiroRutgers Law School

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