Prof. Richard Primus teaches the law, theory, and history of the U.S. Constitution. In 2008, he won the first-ever Guggenheim Fellowship in Constitutional Studies for his work on the relationship between history and constitutional interpretation. His scholarship has been cited in opinions of the Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States.
Prof. Primus works with constitutional law on the state level as well as the federal. He has helped state governmental agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private businesses solve practical problems involving state-level constitutional law, both in Michigan and in other states.
The students of Michigan Law School have given Prof. Primus the L. Hart Wright Award for Excellence in Teaching on four separate occasions: in 2004, 2007, 2010, and 2011.
Prof. Primus graduated from Harvard College in 1992 with an AB, summa cum laude, in social studies. He then earned a DPhil in politics at Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar and the Jowett Senior Scholar at Balliol College. After studying law at Yale, Prof. Primus clerked for Judge Guido Calabresi on the Second Circuit and for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. He then practiced law at the Washington, D.C., office of Jenner & Block before joining the Michigan faculty in 2001.
*****
A person listed as a contributor has spoken or otherwise participated in Federalist Society events, publications, or multimedia presentations. A person's appearance on this list does not imply any other endorsement or relationship between the person and the Federalist Society. In most cases, the biographical information on a person's "contributor" page is provided directly by the person, and the Federalist Society does not edit or otherwise endorse that information. The Federalist Society takes no position on particular legal or public policy issues. All expressions of opinion by a contributor are those of the contributor.
Panel IV: Congress and Court Reform: Jurisdiction Stripping, Court Packing, and Beyond
2025 National Student Symposium
Michigan Law Hutchins Hall625 S State St
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Seating the Bench: State Supreme Court Selection Methods
Michigan Student Chapter
Hutchins Hall Room 138125 S State St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Balancing Test: Can We Get Rid of It
Michigan Student Chapter
Hutchins 120625 N State St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Sachs v. Primus: The Originalism Debate
Michigan Student Chapter
The University of Michigan Law School625 S. State St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
COVID and the Courts
Michigan Student Chapter
Zoom Webinar-- University of MichiganVirtual
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Panel IV: Congress and Court Reform: Jurisdiction Stripping, Court Packing, and Beyond
2025 National Student Symposium
Featuring: Prof. Jamal Greene, Dwight Professor of Law, Columbia Law School Prof. Tara Leigh Grove,...
Panel IV: Congress and Court Reform: Jurisdiction Stripping, Court Packing, and Beyond
2025 National Student Symposium
Featuring: Prof. Jamal Greene, Dwight Professor of Law, Columbia Law School Prof. Tara Leigh Grove,...
Showcase Panel II: Textualism and Constitutional Interpretation
2013 National Lawyers Convention
This panel will examine the growth of interest in recent years in original public meaning...
Showcase Panel II: Textualism and Constitutional Interpretation
2013 National Lawyers Convention
This panel will examine the growth of interest in recent years in original public meaning...
Speech and Commentary: An Originalist Judge and the Media
2008 National Student Symposium
The Federalist Society's Student Division presented this speech and commentary at the 2008 Annual Student...