David Spence, the Rex G. Baker Centennial Chair in Natural Resources Law, has won the Hamilton Book Award for 2025 for “Climate of Contempt: Rescuing the Energy Transition from Voter Partisanship,” which was published last year by Columbia University Press. The prize is named for longtime law professor Robert W. “Bob” Hamilton, who taught at Texas Law for more than 40 years and was a nationally recognized scholar and a prolific author. It is the university’s highest honor for outstanding scholarship in book form.
“The Hamilton Book Awards honor the power of books as a vital form of research and scholarship and celebrate UT authors who transform their expertise into works that enlighten and engage readers far beyond academia,” said Fernanda Leite, interim vice president for research, in announcing Spence’s prize.
“I am very humbled and grateful to have won this award, especially given the high quality of the other nominated works,” Spence said.
Spence was one of two finalists from the law school for the 2025 award. David Rabban was a runner-up for his book, “Academic Freedom: From Professional Norm to First Amendment Right.”
Spence is the fifth law school faculty member to win the award since its introduction in 1997. Previous law school winners were Jordan Steiker in 2017, Thomas McGarity in 2009, Philip Bobbitt in 2003, and Lucas Powe in 2001.
Texas Law’s Jeremy Simon interviewed Spence last year when “Climate of Contempt” was released. Read the “Lowering the Temperature” interview to learn about the inspiration for his book, why political divisions are being exacerbated, and how readers willing to overcome them can move society in a new direction.