Chief Judge Sutton Joins the Moritz College of Law

Beginning in January 2027, Chief Judge Jeffrey Sutton will be appointed as the new Distinguished Professor of Jurisprudence at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.  

“Chief Judge Sutton joining the faculty of Moritz College of Law is an exciting moment for Ohio State,” said Ravi Bellamkonda, executive vice president and provost at The Ohio State University. “By bringing a nationally respected jurist back to his alma mater, we will provide students enhanced access to legal thought and experience, offer faculty a dynamic collaborator, and advance the college’s reputation as a national leader in legal education and scholarship.”

Judge Sutton has served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit with distinction for almost 23 years and has been its Chief Judge for the last five years. Prior to his tenure with the Sixth Circuit, he served as the Ohio Solicitor General. He also is one of the leading scholars in the country on state constitutional law. He has co-authored a textbook on the topic and has written two highly acclaimed books about it: 51 Imperfect Solutions and Who Decides? Judge Sutton’s service to the legal community has been furthered through key judicial committees he has chaired and the clerks he has mentored, many of whom have gone on to clerk for the U.S. Supreme Court. He was a former law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justices Lewis Powell and Antonin Scalia, and partner at Jones Day, one of the country’s leading law firms.  Judge Sutton is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. 

Judge Sutton’s appointment is made possible through Ohio State’s Game Changer Scholars initiative, a key academic excellence initiative of the Education for Citizenship 2035 strategic plan. Through this program, Ohio State and its colleges can recruit exceptional faculty whose contributions advance their academic units through their exceptional experience, achievements and expertise. 

Judge Sutton has taught at Harvard Law School, serves on the council of the American Law Institute, and has been a long-time adjunct faculty member at Moritz. In his new role at Moritz, he will teach constitutional law and state constitutional law while continuing his critical research on state constitutional law, jurisprudence, and federalism. Although his caseload will be lighter, Judge Sutton will continue to serve as a Judge on the Sixth Circuit and maintainhis chambers in Columbus. 

“We are honored to have one of the most acclaimed jurists of his generation joining us to educate the next generation of lawyers and leaders,” said Kent Barnett, Dean of Moritz College of Law. “Through Chief Judge Sutton’s instruction in a core pedagogical course like Constitutional Law, our students will have a firm foundation for their legal education.”