Federalist Society Presents 2012 Bator Award

The Federalist Society presented its annual Paul M. Bator Award on Saturday, March 3, to Eugene Kontorovich, Professor at Northwestern University School of Law. The award was presented at the group's annual Student Symposium by Denny Ng, a University of Chicago Law School student who served on the selection committee. The Bator Award recognizes a young academic – under the age of forty – who has demonstrated excellence in legal scholarship, a commitment to teaching, a concern for students, and who has made a significant public impact.

Professor Kontorovich "epitomizes everything that this award is about," said Ng on behalf of the Federalist Society.  A prolific scholar, Kontorovich has published on wide-ranging topics including federal jurisdiction, constitutional law, law and economics, and international law.  His work has appeared not only in scholarly journals such as the Stanford Law Review and the American Journal of International Law, but also in the popular press in newspapers such as the New York Post and the Jerusalem Post.  His scholarship is also cited in important cases, especially in the fields of foreign relations and federal courts.  He is currently a member of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, where he is writing a book, Justice at Sea:  What Piracy Teaches About the State of International Law, under contract with Harvard University Press.

Ng noted that Professor Kontorovich is not only a prodigious scholar but also a dedicated teacher and mentor. "Current and former students describe him as engaging, brilliant, always accessible, shockingly honest, and the best teacher they've ever had."  Kontorovich, Ng emphasized, "has a passion not just for rigorous scholarship, but for crafting rigorous scholars.  He imbues that craft with a positive zeal."

Professor Kontorovich accepted the Bator Award with characteristic humility and good humor, downplaying his accomplishments and joking that he was merely being "pre-warded" for accomplishments yet to be achieved, a challenge that he would however aspire to meet.

Click HERE for Professor Kontorovich's faculty profile.

Click HERE for more information about the Bator Award.

Click HERE for a list of past Bator Award recipients.

: : :