The University of Virginia’s Karsh Institute of Democracy invites applications for a research fellow for a two-year position. The fellow will join the Karsh Institute in partnership with the UVA School of Law’s Karsh Center for Law and Democracy and the University of Wisconsin Madison Law School to conduct and guide research associated with the “50 Constitutions Project.”

Project Background

The “50 Constitutions Project” is housed at the State Democracy Research Initiative at the University of Wisconsin Law School. It aims to facilitate engagement with state constitutions and their evolution over time. The broader goal of the project is to share research on state constitutions with scholars, practitioners, and the broader public.

The project has a public-facing website (50Constitutions.org) and its aims are two-fold:

Inform the general public of state constitutions’ roles in protecting rights, including rights central to maintaining democracy. Through the site, the public can easily access the text of all 50 state constitutions in readable form and search within and across states.

Allow users to see how a state constitution has developed over time. Users will be able to access a timeline of important dates in their state’s constitutional history, see the state constitution as it existed on any date since its adoption, and run a tracked changes tool to see how provisions have changed.

The 50 Constitutions Project will be a tool not just for legal research, but also for community engagement and nonpartisan civic education and dialogue. By allowing researchers and the public to access the complete text of a state constitution at any point during a state’s history, to review amendments, and to compare the language of provisions over time, the project will catalyze broader and deeper understanding of each state’s constitution, and of state constitutions collectively. In turn, it will enhance the ability of courts, journalists, scholars, legal advocates, and members of the public to engage in informed analysis of the state constitutions that shape many consequential issues in our lives. This work has currently been completed for the pilot state, Wisconsin (https://50constitutions.org/wi).

Position Description

The fellow will hold an appointment with the Karsh Institute of Democracy in the Executive Vice President and Provost’s Office and have an affiliation with the Karsh Center for Law and Democracy at the University of Virginia’s School of Law.

The fellow will be responsible for the research on 20 state constitutions in the next two years. Along with research, the fellow will also help to oversee some of the work of UVA graduate and undergraduate student researchers on the project.

The annual salary for this position is $70,000 per year. Qualified candidates must have their J.D. or Ph.D. completed by the beginning of the fellowship.

To Apply

Candidates must apply through their UVA Workday profile by searching 'Find Jobs and search for R0065170. Candidates must submit their application materials by November 15, 2024, and include the following materials: 

A cover letter outlining their interest in and relevant experience connected to the fellowship’s responsibilities.

A CV

A writing sample representing work that would be relevant for this position.

Names and contact information for three referees who could be contacted for letters of reference

The ideal start date for the position would be January 2025.

The role is a hybrid position in Charlottesville, VA.

For additional information about the position, please contact Professor Bertrall Ross - bross@law.virginia.edu or Dr. Jessica Kimpell Johnson - jk4sa@virginia.edu

For questions about the application process, please contact Jonathan Freeman jf2sw@virginia.edu.

The Karsh Institute of Democracy is dedicated to a future in which democracy’s aspirations and reality are aligned. We work tirelessly to understand, defend, and invigorate the institutions, practices, and cultural underpinnings that are the foundations of democracy. Through all our work— robust interdisciplinary scholarship, research and teaching, and vibrant programs and partnerships designed to engage the public and influence policy agendas—we are shaping a thriving democratic future.

The Karsh Center for Law and Democracy is a nonpartisan legal organization at UVA Law School. The Karsh Center’s mission is to promote understanding and appreciation of the principles and practices necessary for a well-functioning, pluralistic democracy. These include civil discourse and democratic dialogue, civic engagement and citizenship, ethics and integrity in public office, and respect for the rule of law. The center supports these essential features of our democratic life through rigorous and cutting-edge legal and interdisciplinary scholarship and programming. Our aim is to advance the values of law and democracy within the academy and in public discourse.

This was language we had elsewhere in case helpful: 50 Constitutions Project : With the University of Wisconsin Madison and UVA’s Karsh Center for Law and Democracy, we are partnering to support a post-doctoral researcher, graduate student fellows and undergraduate student researchers who will work on the “constitutional change” project associated with the 50 State Constitutions Project at the State Democratic Reform Initiative at Wisconsin. The Karsh Institute and Karsh Center will be responsible for the research on 20 state constitutions, and researchers will identify how and when the state constitutions have been amended in each state, allowing for the tracking of textual modifications over time. This will allow people – and algorithms – using the dashboard developed by Wisconsin to view not only the current text of each state constitution, but also the history of every article and section of each respective state constitution’s text year over year, allowing users to see amendments and understand context by year of adoption.

The University of Virginia, including the UVA Health System which represents the UVA Medical Center, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, UVA Physician’s Group and the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, are fundamentally committed to the diversity of our faculty and staff.  We believe diversity is excellence expressing itself through every person's perspectives and lived experiences.  We are equal opportunity and affirmative action employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, veteran or military status, and family medical or genetic information.