Under the leadership of Prof. Karen Tani L’07, PhD’11, the Legal History Consortium drives innovative research and scholarship at the intersection of the law and history.
By Ian Mikrut
As a vital hub for academic collaboration, the Legal History Consortium embodies Penn Carey Law’s commitment to interdisciplinarity, uniting the Law School and Penn’s Graduate History Department to foster innovative research, scholarship, and education in law and history.
The 2023 retirement of Sarah (Sally) Barringer Gordon, Arlin M. Adams Professor of Constitutional Law and Professor of History, Emerita, marked a pivotal moment for the Consortium, which continues to flourish under the leadership of Karen Tani L’07, PHD’11, Seaman Family University Professor.
Tani, who coordinates the Legal History Consortium, returned to Penn Carey Law in 2020 and holds joint appointments in the Law School and History Department. Her research and scholarship focus on social welfare law, administrative agencies, the role of rights in the modern American State, and the history of disability law in the late 20th century.
This year, Tani authored the Foreword to the Harvard Law Review’s annual Supreme Court issue and delivered the Owen J. Roberts Memorial Lecture in Constitutional Law. She has also co-chaired the American Society for Legal History (ASLH) Program Committee.
“The greatest gift of my professional life has been to return to Penn and be Sally’s colleague and to play a role in carrying forward the programs, institutions, and traditions that she created,” said Tani, the first graduate of Penn’s JD/PhD program in American Legal History. “Penn’s current reputation as a powerhouse in legal history is almost entirely Sally’s doing—but thanks to her careful stewardship, that reputation has not diminished since her retirement.
“We hope to build out the program further,” Tani added, “broadening our scope and working with new legal historians in training.”
For full article and images, please go to the Penn Carey Law Journal.