William E. Forbath
- Lloyd M. Bentsen Chair in Law
- Professor
Willy Forbath holds the Lloyd M. Bentsen Chair in Law and is a professor of history at UT. He is the author of Law and the Shaping of the American Labor Movement (Harvard U. Press); The Anti-Oligarchy Constitution: Reconstructing the Economic Foundations of American Democracy (Harvard U. Press)(with Joseph Fishkin); and dozens of articles, book chapters, and essays on legal and constitutional history and theory and comparative constitutional law. He occasionally writes on legal and constitutional issues for the New York Times, Atlantic, the Nation and other outlets, and serves on the boards of Texas organizations devoted to social movements and advocacy for affordable housing and workers’ rights. In addition to UT, he has taught at UCLA, Sciences Po, Columbia, and Harvard law schools.
For more about The Anti-Oligarchy Constitution visit: https://anti-oligarchy.com/
Featured Work
Willy Forbath holds the Lloyd M. Bentsen Chair and is Associate Dean of Research at UT Austin School of Law; he is also a Professor of History at UT. He is the author of Law and the Shaping of the American Labor Movement, the forthcoming The Anti-Oligarchy Constitution: Reconstructing the Economic Foundations of American Democracy (February, 2022)(with Joseph Fishkin), and dozens of articles, book chapters, and essays on legal and constitutional history and theory and comparative constitutional law. He is completing a history of Jews, law and identity politics in the twentieth century and starting a history of socialist lawyering and legal imagination. He occasionally writes on legal and constitutional issues for the New York Times, the Nation and other outlets, and is on the boards of several Texas organizations devoted to social movements and advocacy for affordable housing and workers’ rights. In addition to UT Austin, he has taught at UCLA, Sciences Po, Tel Aviv, Columbia, and Harvard.
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year-2026
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Article
Anti-Oligarchy, Anti-Authoritarianism, The Constitution, and the Court
William E. Forbath, Joseph Fishkin. "Anti-Oligarchy, Anti-Authoritarianism, The Constitution, and the Court," 72 UCLA L. Rev. 1370 (2026).
year-2024
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Article
Constitutional Politics and Dilemmas on the Left
William E. Forbath. “Constitutional Politics and Dilemmas on the Left.” (April 16, 2024). -
Other Publication
Where the Ruling Class Went to Rule - Law's Violence in the Era of William Howard Taft
William E. Forbath. “Where the Ruling Class Went to Rule - Law's Violence in the Era of William Howard Taft.” (Balkinization, February 24, 2024).
year-2023
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Article
Want to Tax the Rich for Real? Pay Attention to This Supreme Court Case.
William E. Forbath, Joseph Fishkin. “Want to Tax the Rich for Real? Pay Attention to This Supreme Court Case..” In New York Times, (December 10, 2023). -
Other Publication
Moore v. United States. Brief of amicus curiae Bruce Ackerman, Joseph Fishkin, William E. Forbath
William E. Forbath. “Moore v. United States. Brief of amicus curiae Bruce Ackerman, Joseph Fishkin, William E. Forbath.” (October 20, 2023).
year-2022
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Article
How Liberals Should Confront a Right-Wing Supreme Court
William E. Forbath, Joseph Fishkin. “How Liberals Should Confront a Right-Wing Supreme Court.” In New York Times, (October 17, 2022). -
Book
The Anti-Oligarchy Constitution: Reconstructing the Economic Foundations of American Democracy
THE ANTI-OLIGARCHY CONSTITUTION (Harvard University Press, 2022) (with Joseph R. Fishkin)
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Article
The Supreme Court Wasn't Always the Final Arbiter of the Constitution
William E. Forbath, Joseph Fishkin. “The Supreme Court Wasn't Always the Final Arbiter of the Constitution.” In Washington Post, (August 2, 2022). -
Article
Make Progressive Politics Constitutional Again
William E. Forbath, Joseph Fishkin. “Make Progressive Politics Constitutional Again.” In Boston Review, (June 23, 2022).
year-2020
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Other Publication
Socialism Past and Future (Part I of II)
William E Forbath, Socialism Past and Future (Part I of II), (June 18, 2020).
year-2019
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Other Activity
Paper Presentation
William E. Forbath. “Paper Presentation” (April 1, 2019).
year-2017
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Book Chapter
Constitutionalism, Human Rights, and the Genealogy of American Jewish Liberalism: A Comment
William E. Forbath, Constitutionalism, Human Rights and the Genealogy of American Jewish Liberalism: A Comment, in THE LAW OF STRANGERS: JEWISH LAWYERING AND INTERNATIONAL LEGAL THOUGHT IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE, eds. James Loeffler, Moria Paz (Cambridge University Press, forthcoming 2018).
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Article
Wealth, Commonwealth and the Constitution of Opportunity
Joseph R Fishkin, William E. Forbath. “Wealth, Commonwealth and the Constitution of Opportunity.” In 58 Wealth, Page 45 (2017). View online. -
Other Publication
Op-Ed: A New Type of Labor Law for a New Type of Worker
William E. Forbath, Brishen Rogers, Op-Ed: A New Type of Labor Law for a New Type of Worker, The New York Times, September 4, 2017 (co-authored with Brishen Rogers). View Online
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Other Activity
Workshop Leader
William E. Forbath. “Workshop Leader” (May 19-21, 2017). -
Other Activity
Talk
William E. Forbath. “Talk” (March 5, 2017). -
Other Activity
Talk
William E. Forbath. “Talk” (February 10, 2017). -
Other Activity
Conference Leader
William E. Forbath. “Conference Leader” (January 10-14, 2017).
year-2016
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Other Activity
Featured Speaker
William E. Forbath. “Featured Speaker” (December 16, 2016). -
Other Activity
Lecture
William E. Forbath. “Lecture” (September 22, 2016).