Professor Vinay Harpalani
Albuquerque, NM
University of New Mexico School of Law
University of Delaware, Biology and Psychology
University of Pennsylvania, Ph.D.
New York University School of Law, J.D.
Vinay Harpalani is the Don L. and Mabel F. Dickason Endowed Chair in Law at the University of New Mexico School of Law. He teaches courses in constitutional law, civil procedure, race and the law, employment discrimination, and election law. In Spring 2024, he was a visiting professor at Boston University School of Law. Professor Harpalani received the 2017 Derrick A. Bell, Jr. Award from the Association of American Law Schools Section on Minority Groups and the 2016 Junior Teaching Faculty Award from the Society of American Law Teachers. The American Constitution Society has recommended him to the Biden-Harris White House as a potential judicial nominee for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Professor Harpalani has worked with NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and other civil rights organizations to defend racial diversity and equity initiatives. His law review articles have been published in the Harvard Law Review Forum, Boston University Law Review, University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law, Duke Journal of Constitutional Law and Public Policy, and other prominent academic journals. Seven of Professor Harpalani’s articles were cited in 15 separate U.S. Supreme Court amicus briefs defending affirmative action in Fisher v. University of Texas and SFFA v. Harvard/UNC. His 2012 article, Diversity Within Racial Groups and the Constitutionality of Race-Conscious Admissions, was quoted in Justice Samuel Alito’s dissent in Fisher II. Professor Harpalani has also been quoted in various national media outlets, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and Time Magazine. He received his bachelors’ degrees from the University of Delaware, his masters’ degrees and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, and his J.D. from New York University School of Law. Professor Harpalani grew up in New Castle County, Delaware, where his experiences with school desegregation led to his interest in race and law.
