Ozan Varol

Prof. Ozan Varol

Associate Professor of Law, Lewis & Clark Law School

Ozan Varol is a rocket scientist turned award-winning law professor and author. He teaches in the areas of constitutional law, criminal law and procedure, comparative constitutional law, and Islamic law. His recent scholarship has focused on constitutional transitions and constitutional design. He also lectures and writes about civil-military relations and law and politics in the Middle East.

Professor Varol is the author of two forthcoming books with Oxford University: The Democratic Coup d’État (monograph) and Comparative Constitutional Law: A Global and Interdisciplinary Approach (co-authored textbook).

He has also authored more than a dozen book chapters or law review articles published or forthcoming in the California Law Review, Georgetown Law Journal, UC Davis Law Review, Iowa Law Review (twice), Harvard International Law Journal, Columbia Journal of Transnational Law, Virginia Journal of International Law, American Journal of Comparative Law (peer-reviewed), and the International Journal of Constitutional Law (peer-reviewed), among many other academic journals. His scholarship has been featured in various domestic and foreign media outlets, including BBC, CNN, Washington Post, Slate, and Foreign Policy.

Professor Varol’s articles have received numerous scholarly recognitions. He is the only scholar to twice win the American Society of Comparative Law’s paper competition for younger scholars. His 2014 article, Temporary Constitutions, was selected as one of the best three papers in the AALS Scholarly Papers Competition, which is widely considered the most prestigious in legal education, and awarded Honorable Mention. In 2014 and in 2016, his articles won the Federalist Society’s Young Legal Scholars Paper Competition. In addition, his article, The Democratic Coup d’État, was identified in a review by Professor Mark Tushnet (Harvard Law School) as “one of the best works of recent scholarship relating to constitutional law.”

To access Professor Varol’s personal website and download a free chapter from his forthcoming book, click here.



  • B.A. 2003 Cornell University
  • J.D. 2007 University of Iowa, with highest distinction

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Click to play: Young Legal Scholars Paper Presentations

Young Legal Scholars Paper Presentations

16th Annual Faculty Conference

The Federalist Society's Faculty Division hosted this panel featuring young legal scholar paper presentations on Saturday, January...

Young Legal Scholars Paper Presentations

16th Annual Faculty Conference

The Federalist Society's Faculty Division hosted this panel featuring young legal scholar paper presentations on Saturday, January...