Kenneth Karst ’50

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During his long and distinguished career as a UCLA law professor, Kenneth Karst has become one of the nation’s most respected figures in constitutional law, which is considered to be among the most prestigious and competitive specialties in American legal education. Karst’s trailblazing scholarship has had “an enormous impact on the way people think about the role of the Constitution,” says Susan W. Prager, the dean of the UCLA School of Law. A prolific writer, Karst is noted for the richness of the historical and cultural sources he draws on to interpret this country’s fundamental organic law.

Karst served as associate editor of the Encyclopedia of the American Constitution, published in 1986, and now recognized as the definitive work on the constitution. His vital role in designing this four-volume set further solidified his place at the top of his field. One of his most significant scholarly contributions was his article on “The Freedom of Intimate Association,” which illuminates a variety of Supreme Court decisions on the subjects of marriage, family, procreation and illegitimacy, developing an original thesis about protection of the value of free choice in relationships.

In addition to his fine scholarship, Karst is a teacher of exceptional ability, having been honored with a UCLA Distinguished Teaching Award in 1980. Always highly rated in student evaluations, Karst has been praised by students for his “passion for the subject,” his “well-balanced presentation of controversial issues,” as well as for his “wisdom” and “kindness.” Karst just received one of the most esteemed honors in academia, an endowed professorial chair. He is now David G. Price and Dallas P. Price Professor of Law.