Robert C. Post
Sterling Professor of Law
Robert Post is a Sterling Professor of Law at Yale Law School. Post’s subject areas are constitutional law, First Amendment, legal history, and equal protection.
FULL BIOGRAPHY
Contact Information
- Room 212
- 203-432-4946
- robert.post@yale.edu
Faculty Assistant
Eliana Serna
- J35
- 203-432-2198
- marilyn.serna@yale.edu
Education & Curriculum Vitae
Ph.D., Harvard University, (History of American Civilization), 1980
J.D., Yale Law School, 1977
A.B., Harvard University, 1969
Courses Taught
- Constitutional Law
- First Amendment
- Interpretation in Law and Literature
- Legislative and Popular Constitutionalism
- Rethinking Sovereignty
- Comparative Constitutionalism
- Democratic Constitutionalism
Robert Post is Sterling Professor of Law at Yale Law School. He served as the School's 16th dean from 2009 until 2017. Before coming to Yale, he taught at the University of California at Berkeley School of Law.
Post specializes in constitutional law, with a particular emphasis on the First Amendment. He is also a legal historian who is currently writing Volume X of the Oliver Wendell Holmes Devise History of the Supreme Court of the United States, which will cover the period 1921-30 when William Howard Taft was Chief Justice. Post has written and edited numerous books, including Citizens Divided: A Constitutional Theory of Campaign Finance Reform (2014), which was originally delivered as the Tanner Lectures at Harvard in 2013; Democracy, Expertise, Academic Freedom: A First Amendment Jurisprudence for the Modern State (2012), which was originally delivered as the Rosenthal Lectures at Northwestern University; For the Common Good: Principles of American Academic Freedom (with Matthew M. Finkin, 2009), which has become the standard reference for the meaning of academic freedom in the United States; and Prejudicial Appearances: The Logic of American Antidiscrimination Law (2001), which was original delivered as the Brennan Lectures at Berkeley.
Post publishes regularly in legal journals and other publications; exemplary articles and chapters include “Data Privacy and Dignitary Privacy: Google Spain, The Right to be Forgotten, and the Construction of the Public Sphere” (Duke Law Journal, 2018); “The Politics of Religion: Democracy and the Conscience Wars,” in The Conscience Wars: Rethinking the Balance Between Religion, Identity, and Equality (Susanna Mancini and Michel Rosenfeld, eds., Cambridge University Press 2018); “Theorizing Disagreement: Reconceiving the Relationship Between Law and Politics” (California Law Review, 2010); “Roe Rage: Democratic Constitutionalism and Backlash” (with Reva Siegel, Harvard Civil-Rights Civil-Liberties Law Review, 2007); “Federalism, Positive Law, and the Emergence of the American Administrative State: Prohibition in the Taft Court Era” (William & Mary Law Review, 2006); “Foreword: Fashioning the Legal Constitution: Culture, Courts, and Law” (Harvard Law Review, 2003); and “Subsidized Speech” (Yale Law Journal, 1996).
Post is a member of the American Law Institute and a fellow of both the American Philosophical Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Friday, March 17, 2023
ChatGPT Libeled Me. Can I Sue?
The Wall Street Journal
Sterling Professor of Law Robert Post ’77 comments on whether an AI chatbot could be held liable for defamation.
Wednesday, August 3, 2022
Can We Fix What’s Wrong with Social Media?
A look at how Yale Law School alumni, faculty, and students are grappling with some of the most difficult questions in the online environment.
Thursday, February 10, 2022
The Evolution of the First Amendment
We The People Podcast
Sterling Professor of Law Robert Post ’77 discussed the evolution of the First Amendment.
Saturday, January 22, 2022
Judge Rules for Professors in University of Florida Academic Freedom Case
The Washington Post
Sterling Professor of Law Robert Post ’77 is quoted about a ruling in favor of three University of Florida academics who were barred against appearing as expert witnesses in a lawsuit about the state’s voting laws.
Thursday, November 18, 2021
Four Law School Alumni Receive Award of Merit
Yale Law School presented the Award of Merit to four esteemed alumni — Stacey Abrams ’99, Lani Guinier ’74, William E. Kennard ’81, and Robert C. Post ’77 — on Nov. 17, 2021.
Saturday, October 30, 2021
Florida Bars Professors From Testifying as Expert Witnesses in Voting Case
The New York Times
Sterling Professor of Law Robert Post '77 comments on University of Florida academics' barring from appearing as expert witnesses in a lawsuit about the state's voting laws.
Tuesday, October 5, 2021
The First Amendment in the Information Age
Sterling Professor of Law Robert Post and Knight Professor of Constitutional Law and the First Amendment Jack Balkin join Yale University President Peter Salovey for a conversation about the viral spread of misinformation in the information age.
Wednesday, June 30, 2021
MFIA Clinic Advances New Project on Algorithmic Transparency
The MFIA Clinic has launched two new projects on algorithmic transparency this past semester, with the goal of developing model legislation to promote transparency around the use of algorithms by government agencies and disclosure of their potential biases.
Tuesday, February 23, 2021
Can We Trust Corporate Commitments to Racial Equity?
Forbes
Scholarship by Sterling Professor of Law Robert Post ’77 is mentioned in a Forbes article about corporate response to demands for racial equity.
Monday, February 22, 2021
The Journal of Free Speech Law, a New Faculty-Edited (Peer-Reviewed) Law Journal
Reason
Reason carried the announcement of the launch of the Journal of Free Speech Law, of which Sterling Professor of Law Robert Post ’77 is a member of the editorial board.
Monday, February 8, 2021
Inside Merrick Garland's Year as Brennan Clerk at the Supreme Court
The National Law Journal
Sterling Professor of Law Robert Post ’77 and Lafayette S. Foster Professor of Law Kate Stith are quoted in a National Law Journal article about Merrick Garland.
Saturday, January 16, 2021
The Other Tragedy of January 6 — A Commentary by Robert Post ’77
The Atlantic
Robert Post is Sterling Professor of Law at Yale Law School.
Wednesday, January 6, 2021
Have Trump’s Lies Wrecked Free Speech?
The New York Times
Sterling Professor of Law Robert Post ’77 and Knight Professor of Constitutional Law and the First Amendment Jack Balkin are quoted in a New York Times commentary by Thomas Edsall.
Monday, December 7, 2020
Robert Post Named to the Oversight Board Trust
Sterling Professor of Law Robert C. Post ’77 has been named a trustee of the Oversight Board Trust, the group announced on December 1, 2020.
Monday, August 26, 2019
Revered From Left And Right, She’ll Soon Be Canada’s Longest-Serving Judge
Los Angeles Tiimes
Sterling Professor of Law Robert Post ’77 is quoted about Rosalie Abella, Canada’s longest-serving judge.
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Seminar Returns to Argentina with Gender and Equality Focus
Legal scholars from Yale Law School and 14 countries convened in Buenos Aires in June for the 24th annual Seminario en Latinoamérica de Teoría Constitutional y Política, or SELA, this year addressing the topic of gender and equality.
Sunday, May 5, 2019
Congress is Set to Move Against U.S. Attorney-General Barr – but the Path Forward Remains Unclear
The Globe and Mail
Sterling Professor of Law Robert Post ’77 is quoted in an article about Attorney General Barr’s refusal to cooperate with Congress.
Wednesday, April 24, 2019
Portrait of Robert Post ’77 Joins Historic Law School Collection
The unveiling of the official portrait of former Dean Robert Post '77 was a celebration of the Sterling Professor of Law's career.
Monday, March 4, 2019
Trump’s Plan to Protect Free Speech on Campus Is a Bad Idea
Bloomberg
Sterling Professor of Law Robert Post ’77 is mentioned in a piece by Noah Feldman ’97 about free speech on college campuses.
Monday, January 28, 2019
Post Named to American Law Institute Torts Project
The American Law Institute (ALI) announced that Sterling Professor of Law Robert C. Post ’77 has been named a Co-Reporter for its ongoing Restatement (Third) of Torts: Defamation and Privacy.
Wednesday, January 23, 2019
Will a New Play Restart a Fire?
The New York Times
Sterling Professor of Law Robert Post ’77 is quoted in the New York Times about a stage play based on Ricci v. DeStefano.
Monday, December 17, 2018
Post Delivers Inaugural Thurgood Marshall Lecture at the Second Circuit
Sterling Professor of Law Robert C. Post ’77 delivered the inaugural Thurgood Marshall Lecture at the Second Circuit Court of Appeals on December 12, 2018.
Saturday, October 6, 2018
Brett Kavanaugh Cannot Have It Both Ways—A Commentary by Robert Post ’77
Politico
Sterling Professor of Law at Yale Law School Robert Post ’77 discusses the appointment of Brett Kavanaugh ’90 to the Supreme Court in Politico.
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
Did Anthony Kennedy Just Destroy His Own Legacy?
Politico
Sterling Professor of Law Robert C. Post ’77 and Professor of Law Abbe R. Gluck ’00 contributed to a discussion on the legacy of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.
Monday, June 4, 2018
In Narrow Opinion, Supreme Court Rules For Baker In Gay Rights Case
National Public Radio/ All Things Considered
Sterling Professor of Law Robert Post ’77 and John A. Garver Professor of Jurisprudence Bill Eskridge ’78 are quoted in a story on the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of a Colorado baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple.
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
New Jersey could fund gun violence research at Rutgers—once it clears the academic freedom hurdles
Philly.com
Sterling Professor of Law Robert C. Post ’77 is quoted in an article about proposed legislation that would give Rutgers University $400,000 for a firearms violence study.
Sunday, February 11, 2018
The Supreme Court is about to hear the biggest labor case of the century
The Washington Post
A brief by Sterling Professor of Law Robert C. Post '77 is discussed in an editorial about Janus v. AFSCME, a U.S. Supreme Court case about union agency fees.
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
There is no 1st Amendment right to speak on a college campus—A Commentary by Robert C. Post ’77
Vox
Robert Post ’77 is a Sterling Professor of Law at Yale Law School.
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Do Trump’s NFL Attacks Violate the First Amendment?—A Commentary by Robert Post ’77
Politico
Robert Post ’77 is a Sterling Professor of Law at Yale Law School.
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Friends, Enemies, and Trump's First Amendment Violations—A Commentary by Robert Post ’77
Take Care
Robert Post ’77 is a Sterling Professor of Law at Yale Law School.
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
National revulsion over the Charlottesville march shows why we shouldn’t ban hate speech—A Commentary by Robert C. Post ’77
Vox
Robert C. Post ’77 is a Sterling Professor of Law at Yale Law School.
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
Economic Inequality and the Future of Democracy: Tracking the Conversation
Nonprofit Quarterly
Sterling Professor of Law Robert Post ’77 is quoted in an article reporting on a panel discussion at the recent Aspen Institute Economic Security Summit.
Monday, May 15, 2017
Dean Post Designated Sterling Professor of Law
Dean Robert C. Post '77 has been named Sterling Professor of Law, one of the University's highest faculty honors.
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Outgoing Yale Law Dean Says School Is ‘Reinvigorated’
Law.com
Dean and Sol & Lillian Goldman Professor of Law Robert Post ’77 is interviewed about his tenure as dean of the law school.
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
Is This a Constitutional Crisis?
Politico
Dean and Sol & Lillian Goldman Professor of Law Robert Post ’77, David Cole ’84, Saikrishna Prakash ’93, and Jamal Greene ’05 contributed to an article on the firing of FBI Director James Comey.
Monday, April 17, 2017
Yale Law School Flourishes Under Deanship of Robert C. Post ’77
In the eight years that Dean Robert C. Post ’77 has been at the helm of Yale Law School, he has solidly entrenched the School’s position at the forefront of legal education.
Sunday, March 19, 2017
Want to Know Where Supreme Court Nominees Stand? Don’t Bother Asking
The New York Times
Dean and Sol & Lillian Goldman Professor of Law Robert Post ’77 is quoted in an article and video about Senate confirmation hearings for those nominated to the Supreme Court.
Friday, December 9, 2016
American Constitution Society Announces New Board Members
American Constitution Society
The American Constitution Society announced new members to its board of advisors, including Dean and Sol & Lillian Goldman Professor of Law Robert Post ’77 and Geoffrey Klineberg ’90.
Thursday, September 1, 2016
The Supreme Court’s First Amendment problem
Yale Alumni Magazine
Dean and Sol & Lillian Goldman Professor of Law Robert Post ’77 was interviewed for a feature article about the Supreme Court and First Amendment cases. Sterling Professor Emeritus of Law Owen Fiss is also quoted.
Sunday, June 26, 2016
Exxon-Mobil is abusing the first amendment—A Commentary by Robert C. Post '77
The Washington Post
Robert C. Post '77 is the Dean and Sol & Lillian Goldman Professor of Law at Yale Law School.
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Exxon Mobil Fights Back at State Inquiries Into Climate Change Research
The New York Times
Dean and Sol & Lillian Goldman Professor of Law Robert C. Post '77 is quoted in an article about efforts by Exxon Mobil to fight various state lawsuits over past statements it made about climate change.
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Merrick Garland’s Path to Nomination Marked by Deference, With Limits
The New York Times
Dean and Sol & Lillian Goldman Professor of Law Robert C. Post ’77 is quoted about Merrick Garland, nominated to the Supreme Court.
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Speaking at Yale, Justice Breyer Calls Scalia 'Titan of Law'
The Connecticut Law Tribune
A report on a talk given by Associate Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer at Yale Law School, with remarks by Dean Robert Post ’77.
Saturday, October 31, 2015
Panhandling laws face challenge after church sign ruling
The Bismarck Tribune
Dean and Sol & Lillian Goldman Professor of Law Robert C. Post ’77 is quoted in a story about legal challenges to law restricting where and when people may panhandle.
Friday, October 16, 2015
Law, Religion, and Politics Conference on November 6 and 7
The conference Law, Religion, and Politics: Challenges to Traditional Borders in Global and Comparative Perspectives marks the fourth anniversary of the Debating Law & Religion Series at Yale Law School.
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Dean Robert C. Post ’77 Welcomes Class of 2018
Yale Law School’s new students gathered on Wednesday, August 26, for convocation ceremonies in the Levinson Auditorium.
Thursday, August 20, 2015
Cellphone Law Sparks Superstar Showdown
The Recorder
Dean and Sol & Lillian Goldman Professor of Law Robert C. Post ’77 is mentioned and Lawrence Lessig ’89 is quoted in an article about legal arguments regarding a proposed City of Berkeley ordinance warning cell phone users of potential health issues.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Free Speech Zone
HuffPost Live
Dean and Sol & Lillian Goldman Professor of Law Robert C. Post ’77 was a guest in a discussion about free speech.
Monday, August 17, 2015
Court’s Free-Speech Expansion Has Far-Reaching Consequences
The New York Times
Dean and Sol & Lillian Goldman Professor of Law Robert C. Post ’77 and Floyd Abrams ’59 are quoted in an article about the Supreme Court decision on Reed v. Town of Gilbert.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Berkeley passes cellphone ‘right to know’ law
Berkeleyside
Dean and Sol & Lillian Goldman Professor of Law Robert C. Post ’77 is mentioned in an article on a “Right to Know” ordinance that requires local cellphone retailers to advise consumers with information regarding the safe use of their phones.
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Dean Robert Post of Yale Law School is Interviewed
The John Gormley Show
Dean and Sol & Lillian Goldman Professor of Law Robert C. Post ’77 is interviewed about free speech in relation to the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris.
Monday, January 5, 2015
Dean Post Delivers Lecture at AALS Annual Meeting
Robert C. Post ’77, Dean and Sol & Lillian Goldman Professor of Law, gave a talk at the Association of American Law School’s (AALS) annual meeting in Washington, D.C., on January 4.
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Trust in the Legal System Must Be Regained—A Commentary by Robert C. Post ’77 and Martha Minow ’79
The Boston Globe
Robert C. Post ’77 is Dean and Sol & Lillian Goldman Professor of Law at Yale Law School and Martha Minow is the Morgan and Helen Chu Dean and Professor of Law at Harvard Law School.
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Yale Law School to Hold Conference on First Amendment in the Shadow of Public Health
The Public Health in the Shadow of the First Amendment Conference will take place at Yale Law School on October 17 and 18.
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Dean Robert C. Post ’77 Welcomes the Class of 2017
Dean Robert C. Post ’77 welcomed the Class of 2017 on Wednesday, August 27, 2014. The incoming class includes a diverse group of students coming from 8 different countries, 36 different states, and 77 different
undergraduate institutions.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
When Doctors Have the Right to Speak—A Commentary by Robert C. Post ’77
The New York Times
Robert C. Post ’77 is Dean and Sol & Lillian Goldman Professor of Law at Yale Law School.
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Citizens Divided: Campaign Finance Reform and the Constitution—A Book by Dean Robert C. Post ’77
The Nature of Public Opinion
In 2010, a sharply divided U.S. Supreme Court overturned a federal prohibition on independent corporate campaign expenditures—and ushered in a controversial new electoral era in which money has flooded political elections.
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
YLS 2014 Commencement: Graduates Encouraged to Use Law to Work Toward an Imagined Future—PHOTOS, SPEECHES, VIDEO
More than 200 graduates of Yale Law School participated in commencement ceremonies on Monday afternoon at the William K. Lanman Center at Payne Whitney Gymnasium, joined by a celebratory crowd of more than 1400 people, including friends, family, and Law School faculty.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Robert C. Post ’77 Reappointed Dean of Yale Law School
Yale University President Peter Salovey has announced the reappointment of Robert C. Post ’77 as Dean of Yale Law School and Sol and Lillian Goldman Professor of Law, effective July 1, 2014, for a term of three years.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Dean Robert Post '77 Welcomes the Class of 2016 to Yale Law School
Dean Robert C. Post '77 delivers the convocation address to incoming Yale Law students marking the start of the 2013-2014 academic year.
Monday, May 20, 2013
YLS 2013 Commencement: Graduates Encouraged to Use Law as Tool for Change
Yale Law School's 2013 Commencement Ceremonies were held on May 20, 2013 with addresses by Professor Anne L. Alstott, Dean Robert C. Post, and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Dean Robert C. Post ’77 to Deliver Prestigious Lectures at Harvard University
Dean Robert C. Post to deliver Tanner Lectures at Harvard University on May 1, 2013 through May 3, 2013.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Dean Post Welcomes the J.D. Class of 2015 to Yale Law School
In his convocation address on August 27, Dean Robert Post ’77 welcomed the 203 members of the Yale Law School J.D. Class of 2015.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Lecture by YLS Dean Robert Post ’77 is First Event in Yale Collaboration with French Universities
Dean Robert Post’s recent lecture at Université de Paris-Panthéon-Assas was the first co-hosted event by Yale and Panthéon–Assas under the terms of their new Agreement for Collaborative Activities.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Dean Post to Lecture in Paris on Constitutional Protections for Academic Freedom
Yale Law School Dean Robert Post ’77 will deliver a lecture in Paris on Constitutional Protections for Academic Freedom.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
COMMENCEMENT 2012: Yale Law School Degree Candidates Urged to Remember the Poor, Work for Equal Justice - VIDEO and PHOTOS
251 degree candidates were honored at Yale Law School’s Commencement ceremonies on May 21, 2012.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Dean Post Welcomes the J.D. Class of 2014 to Yale Law School
In his convocation address on August 31, Dean Robert Post ’77 welcomed the 205 members of the Yale Law School J.D. Class of 2014.
Monday, May 23, 2011
229 Degree Candidates Honored Before Downpour Cuts Commencement Ceremonies Short -- VIDEO and PHOTOS
229 degree candidates were honored at Yale Law School Commencement ceremonies on May 23.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Dean Robert Post '77 Elected to American Philosophical Society
Robert C. Post ’77, Dean of Yale Law School, has been elected to the American Philosophical Society.
Friday, March 25, 2011
April Seminar Will Consider Critical Issues Facing Military Justice Systems
Leading military appellate court judges from around the world will take part in a Global Military Appellate Seminar April 1 and 2 at Yale Law School.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
International Supreme Court and Constitutional Justices Meet at Yale Law School
The fourteenth Global Constitutionalism Seminar took place at Yale Law School September 22-25, 2010.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Dean Post Welcomes the J.D. Class of 2013 to Yale Law School
Dean Robert Post ’77 welcomed the 199th class of new J.D. students to Yale Law School on August 25, 2010.
Monday, May 24, 2010
222 Degree Candidates Honored at Commencement Ceremonies May 24 - VIDEO AND PHOTOS
222 degree candidates were honored at Yale Law School Commencement ceremonies on May 24, 2010.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Media Freedom and Information Access Practicum Looks to Increase Government Transparency and Support the Public’s Right to Know
Yale Law School has announced the launch of the Media Freedom and Information Access Practicum.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Yale Law School's 2010 Commencement Ceremonies Will Be Held May 24
Yale Law School’s 2010 Commencement ceremony will take place Monday, May 24
Monday, October 12, 2009
SELA Participants Gather in Paraguay to Examine Law and Sexuality
Nearly 100 lawyers and legal scholars from North and South America gathered in Asunción, Paraguay, this past June for the 2009 SELA meeting.
Monday, June 22, 2009
A Message from Yale University President Richard C. Levin—Robert C. Post ’77 Named YLS Dean
Robert C. Post ’77, Dean and Sol and Lillian Goldman Professor of Law
Monday, June 22, 2009
Robert C. Post ’77 Named Dean of Yale Law School
Robert C. Post ’77 has been named Dean and Sol & Lillian Goldman Professor of Law at Yale Law School, effective July 1, 2009.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Professor Robert Post Delivers First Lecture in New Series on Free Expression
The China Law Center and Peking University kicked off a new lecture series in Beijing on May 18, 2007, with a lecture by YLS Professor Robert Post. His address, part of a day-long program, was the first in a new series on “Information and Expression in a Transforming Society.”