Catherine J. Ross (born December 27, 1949) is the Lyle T. Alverson Professor of Law at The George Washington University Law School where she is a constitutional law expert specializing in the First Amendment and civil liberties more generally as well as family law and issues affecting children and families including education and child custody.[1]
Ross was in the first class of women to graduate from Yale College in 1971.[2] She went on to earn her P.h.D (in History). and J.D. from Yale
Catherine J. Ross | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1949 (age 74–75) |
| Academic background | |
| Education | Yale University |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Constitutional Law |
| Institutions | George Washington University Law School |
| Notable works | A Right to Lie? Presidents, Other Liars, and the First Amendment Lessons in Censorship: How Schools and Courts Subvert Students' First Amendment Rights |
| Website | https://catherinejrosslawprof.com/ |
University.[3]
She began her legal career in a litigation role at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, where she won major impact litigation on behalf of the homeless population.[4][5] She began working in legal
As an elected Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, Ross, with A. Leon Higginbotham Jr., was a co-Chair of the ABA's Steering Committee on the Unmet Needs of Children and resulting landmark report "America’s Children at Risk," which was presented at the White House in 1993.[4] [1] She later turned to academia, and has since held positions at Boston College and St. and St. John's University School of Law.[1][6] In 1996, she joined the George Washington University Law School faculty, where she was named Lyle T. Alverson Professor of Law in 2016.[7][2]
Ross was a Member of the School of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study from 2008-2009.[1]
In 2015, Ross published the prize-winning Lessons in Censorship: How Schools and Courts Subvert Students' First Amendment Rights (Harvard University Press). In 2021, she published a second book on the first amendment, titled A Right to Lie? Presidents, Other Liars, and the First Amendment.
As a leading expert on campus speech issues in both K-12 and colleges and universities, Ross is widely quoted in the media (both in the U.S and abroad).[8][9][10][11][12] She has published op-eds including in the Washington Post and USA Today.[13][14]
Ross served on the Legal Advisory Board of Impeach Donald Trump Now, and the Legal Advisory Board of Free Speech for People.[15] She has lectured widely and responded to press inquiries in the U.S. and abroad on the grounds and process for impeachment of a President.[16]