Professor Wilson R. Huhn received the 2012 Scholar of the Year Award at The University of Akron School of Law 2012 commencement ceremony. Members of the Akron Law Review select the recipient of this award.
This year, the students selected Huhn on the basis of him being Akron Law’s most productive scholar, publishing a book, a book chapter, and four law review articles. In this same academic year, Huhn’s work has been downloaded off of SSRN 447 times, and off of BEPRESS 1027 times. His notable work, the Five Types of Legal Argument, is out in its second edition and is assigned at many law schools across the nation.
“Professor Huhn is a leader within the academic community and an expert on constitutional law,” said Carol Tran, executive editor of the Akron Law Review. “He has been cited by more than 200 other scholars in the United States working in his field. On top of that, he did all this while being a committed teacher, continuously teaching during the academic year and even part of the summer.”
Huhn is a C. Blake McDowell, Jr., Professor and Associate Director of the Constitutional Law Center at The University of Akron School of Law. He currently teaches courses in Constitutional Law, Advanced Constitutional Law, Jurisprudence, and Commercial Paper. He received his B.A. at Yale University and J.D., cum laude, at Cornell University, where he was a member of the Cornell Law Review. Prior to joining the Akron Law faculty in 1984, Huhn served as law clerk for the late Judge Leo A. Jackson in the 8th District Court of Appeals and as an associate at Squire, Sanders and Dempsey. Huhn's book "ObamaCare: Is It Necessary, What Will It Accomplish, Is It Constitutional" (Carolina Academic Press 2012) is available in electronic format for Kindle. His book "The Five Types of Legal Argument" (Carolina Academic Press, 2002, 2008) is required reading at a number of law schools nationally. Other recent publications include A Higher Law: Abraham Lincoln’s Use of Religious Imagery (Rutgers Journal of Law and Religion, forthcoming 2011), Abraham Lincoln’s Influence on the Modern Supreme Court (Oklahoma City University Law Review, forthcoming 2011), The Constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Under the Commerce Clause and the Necessary and Proper Clause, 32 Journal of Legal Medicine 139-165 (2011), The Constitutionality of “Socialized Medicine” 15 Michigan State University Journal of Medicine and Law 299-336 (2011), Constantly Approximating Popular Sovereignty: Seven Fundamental Principles of Constitutional Law, 19 William and Mary Bill of Rights Journal 291 (2010); The Legacy of Slaughterhouse, Bradwell, and Cruikshank in Constitutional Interpretation, 42 Akron Law Review 1051 (2009); Cross Burning as Hate Speech Under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, 2 Amsterdam Law Forum vol. 1 19 (2009) (online journal); Ten Questions on Gay Rights and Freedom of Religion, Akron Journal of Constitutional Law and Policy (online journal) (July 31, 2009); Abraham Lincoln Was a Framer of the Constitution, 86:3 Washington University Law Review (Slip Opinions, online journal) (March 12, 2009); Waterboarding Is Illegal, Washington University Law Review (Slip Opinions, online journal) (May 10, 2008); Congress Has the Power to Enforce the Bill of Rights Against the Federal Government: Therefore FISA is Constitutional and the President's Terrorist Surveillance Program Is Illegal, 16 William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal 537 (2007); In Defense of the Roosevelt Court, 2 Florida A & M University Law Review 1 (2007); The State Action Doctrine and the Principle of Democratic Choice, 34 Hofstra Law Review (2006); and The Constitutional Jurisprudence of Sandra Day O'Connor: A Refusal to "Foreclose the Unanticipated", 39 Akron Law Review 373-415 (2006). The graduating class selected Huhn Outstanding Professor of the Year in 1987, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2008, the Akron Law alumni awarded him the Outstanding Publication prize in 2004 and 2006, and the law faculty named him the "Most Valuable Player" for his contributions to legal scholarship, 2001-03. In 2011, he received an Honorary Alumni Award from the Akron Law Alumni Association.
About The University of Akron School of Law
The University of Akron School of Law promotes justice, the protection of individual liberty and the rule of law through commitment to excellence in teaching, scholarship and service. A regional school of national impact, the law school features renowned programs in intellectual property, professional responsibility and trial advocacy, and is home to one of four Constitutional Law Centers in the United States, established by the U.S. Congress in 1986.To learn more, visit www.uakron.edu/law.