Suzanna Sherry

Herman O. Loewenstein Chair in Law Emerita Vanderbilt University

  • Nashville TN

Nationally renowned expert on the Supreme Court and constitutional law.

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Vanderbilt University

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Biography

Sherry's work in the area of constitutional law has earned her national recognition as one of the most well-known scholars in the field. The author of more than 100 books and articles, she also writes extensively on federal courts and federal court procedures. After graduating from law school, Professor Sherry was a clerk for the Honorable John C. Godbold of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Montgomery, Alabama, and then served as an associate with the law firm of Miller Cassidy Larroca & Lewin in Washington, D.C. She joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 2000 as the inaugural holder of the Cal Turner Chair, having previously served on the faculty of the University of Minnesota Law School since 1982. She was named the Herman O. Loewenstein Professor of Law in 2006.

Areas of Expertise

Constitutional Law
Constitutional Doctrine
Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Constitutional Law and Theory
Federal Courts
Federal Judicial System
Federalism
The Supreme Court (U.S.)
Supreme Court

Accomplishments

SEC Faculty Achievement Award recipient

2016-2017

Education

University of Chicago

J.D.

Law

1979

Middlebury College

A.B.

History

1976

Affiliations

  • New Voices
  • Journal of Law and Courts
  • The Green Bag
  • Constitutional Commentary
  • Planned Parenthood of Middle and Eastern Tennessee

Selected Media Appearances

Should Supreme Court Justices Have Term Limits?

U.S. News & World Report  online

2022-07-06

Term limits for Supreme Court justices are a bad idea. They won’t solve any problems, but they will make some existing problems worse and cause new ones.

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Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade in historic but anticipated reversal: ‘This is an invasion of a woman’s body’

Fortune  online

2022-06-24

The Supreme Court has voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide, and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, a 1992 decision that upheld it, in a historic yet anticipated reversal.

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Texas Abortion Law: Here’s What Happens Next After Supreme Court Refuses To Block It

Forbes  online

2021-12-10

Suzanna Sherry, chair in law at Vanderbilt University’s School of Law, told Forbes Friday it’s likely the district court will proceed quickly in the abortion providers’ case. After the district court issues its final ruling in the case, it’s expected it will be appealed to the 5th Circuit, which Sherry noted has so far only ruled on procedural issues in the case and not the constitutionality of the law itself, and would likely be bound by Supreme Court precedent to declare SB 8’s abortion restrictions unconstitutional. That being said, the Supreme Court is separately weighing a challenge to Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban that could significantly weaken or overturn the court’s precedent in Roe v. Wade and give states the green light to severely restrict or ban abortion. A decision in that case will come out by June. If the high court sides with Mississippi and rolls back abortion rights before the 5th Circuit rules in the abortion providers’ case, the appeals court would be more likely to rule in Texas’ favor and uphold the law.

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Selected Articles

Normalizing Erie

Vanderbilt Law Review

Suzanna Sherry

2016

"This Article argues that the Erie doctrine should be normalized by bringing it into line with ordinary doctrines of federalism. Under ordinary federalism doctrines—such as the dormant commerce clause, implied preemption, federal preclusion law, and certain special “enclaves” of federal common law—courts will displace state law to protect federal interests even when neither Congress nor the Constitution clearly articulates those interests."

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Selective Judicial Activism: Defending Carolene Products

Georgetown Journal of Law and Policy

Suzanna Sherry

2016

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