Fordham Law School announced today the establishment of the John D. Feerick Research Chair, a rotating faculty chair named in honor of Fordham Law Dean Emeritus and Norris Professor of Law John D. Feerick ’61. The chair was established through the generosity of an anonymous donor. The inaugural chair holder will be Professor Andrew Kent.
The Feerick Research Chair was established in celebration of Dean Feerick’s role in the scholarly transformation of Fordham Law. Under Dean Feerick’s leadership, Fordham Law School became a nationally and internationally known hub for superb legal scholarship across a wide variety of fields. Dean Feerick recruited top scholars to the faculty, nurtured the development of young scholars, provided financial support for research and publication, created new student journals, and supported an exponential increase in events such as lectures and symposia that brought leading scholars to the Fordham community and encouraged them to publish in Fordham’s journals. In sum, he built a culture that valued both creativity and careful analysis rooted in the premise that ideas and values shape our legal system and society.
“We are tremendously grateful to John for the groundbreaking work that he has done over his distinguished career to revolutionize Fordham Law’s intellectual life, and we are proud to establish this chair in his honor,” said Fordham Law School Dean Matthew Diller.
"I am humbled by the law school's decision to establish a chair in research and scholarship in my name, thanks to the unprecedented generosity of a donor,” said Dean and Norris Professor of Law John D. Feerick. I applaud the appointment to the chair of Professor Andrew Kent. Beyond being an outstanding teacher and scholar, he possesses the qualities of caring very deeply for students, colleagues, and the school itself. I extend to him my warm congratulations and best wishes.”
The Feerick Research Chair is awarded to a member of the Fordham Law faculty who has attained a high level of scholarly distinction, as demonstrated by the quality and quantity of scholarly publications over the course of his or her career to date and the impact that faculty member’s work has had on the legal system, legal practice, academic scholarship, or a combination of these realms.
The holder of the chair is also expected to be a strong teacher and mentor to students as well as an important contributor to Fordham Law’s intellectual community, with a strong record of service to the law school. A chair holder may hold the Feerick Research chair for a term of two years.
“Andrew’s scholarship on the Constitution, foreign affairs, and separation of powers, and constitutional history more broadly, is exceptional,” said Dean Diller. “He has made important contributions on a broad range of topics and is a committed teacher and citizen of Fordham Law.”
Professor Kent’s work—covering topics such as presidential power, U.S. colonial governance, the extraterritoriality of the U.S. Constitution, the legal history of the Civil War, and remedies for constitutional torts—has been published leading journals including the Harvard Law Review, Columbia Law Review, Georgetown Law Journal, Texas Law Review, and the American Journal of Legal History. His recent Harvard Law Review article on the president’s constitutional role, “Faithful Execution and Article II,” written with Professors Ethan Leib and Jed Shugerman, was cited in Justice Kagan’s dissent to Seila Law LLC v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the House of Representative’s memorandum explaining the legal basis for the impeachment of President Donald Trump.
“I am honored to be named as the inaugural holder of the Feerick Research Chair,” Professor Kent said. “John Feerick has been a wonderful mentor and supporter of me and my work since the time I arrived at Fordham, as he has been for hundreds other faculty members, past and present. All of us at Fordham Law today who aspire to be outstanding legal scholars, teachers, and members of the profession are standing on the shoulders of John and the faculty he hired and nurtured during his deanship and afterward. I am honored and humbled to hold a chair named after him.”
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