New Pitt School of Law Dean Is Constitutional Law And Human Rights Scholar William M. Carter Jr.

William M. Carter Jr.

Legal scholar William M. Carter Jr. —widely respected for his scholarship in constitutional law, international human rights law, and issues of social justice—has been named dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, Pitt Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor Patricia E. Beeson announced April 25. Carter, who is currently professor of law at the Temple University Beasley School of Law and also has served on the faculty of Case Western Reserve University School of Law, will become the Pitt law school’s dean on July 1, 2012.

Carter will succeed Mary Crossley, who is to assume a Pitt faculty position after seven successful years as law school dean.

“Professor Carter’s vision for the School of Law is well matched to our overall vision for the University,” said Beeson. “He is committed to building the school in ways that will further enhance the scholarly contributions of our faculty, enable our students to be successful in their legal careers, and engage the legal profession both locally and nationally. I am delighted that Professor Carter has agreed to serve as dean of the School of Law and have great confidence that his scholarly leadership and commitment to excellence in legal education will serve us well.”

University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg, a former dean of the Pitt law school, also praised the appointment. “Professor Carter is a highly regarded scholar and acclaimed teacher who also has earned the deep respect of his colleagues, which is reflected in the leadership positions he has held within the law faculties at both Temple and Case. He seeks to build on our Law School’s existing strengths by further increasing its scholarly impact, enhancing its already strong educational programs, and building even more bridges to the practicing profession—here in Pittsburgh and around the country and particularly with our own law alumni.”

Carter earned his bachelor’s degree at Bowling Green State University in Ohio and his law degree with high honors from Case Western Reserve University School of Law, where he was elected to membership in the Order of the Coif and served as associate editor of the Case Western Reserve University Law Review. Earlier in his career, he worked as a litigation associate in the Washington, D.C., offices of Squire, Sanders, & Dempsey and Ropes & Gray.

Carter is an award-winning teacher who has taught in the areas of constitutional law, civil procedure, political and civil rights, and litigation. He has chaired most of the important committees at the two law schools on whose faculties he has served. These include the Executive, Faculty Recruitment and Selection, and Faculty Review committees at Temple and a special committee integrating lawyering skills into the curriculum at Case.

Carter’s articles have been published or are in press in such highly respected law journals as the Columbia Law Review, the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review, the International Journal of Constitutional Law, and the UCLA Law Review. He also has contributed to books published by Columbia University Press and Oxford University Press. His work has been cited by courts, lawyers, and other scholars, and he has established a national and international scholarly reputation, particularly with regard to the Thirteenth Amendment.