Robert M. "Bobby" Chesney is an American lawyer and the Dean of the
University of Texas School of Law
The University of Texas School of Law (Texas Law) is the law school of the University of Texas at Austin. Texas Law is consistently ranked as one of the top law schools in the United States and is highly selective—registering the 8th lowest ac ...
. He is the Charles I. Francis Professor in Law and the current associate dean for academic affairs. Chesney teaches courses relating to U.S.
national security and
constitutional law
Constitutional law is a body of law which defines the role, powers, and structure of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the parliament or legislature, and the judiciary; as well as the basic rights of citizens and, in fe ...
. He is also the director of the
Strauss Center for International Security and Law. Chesney addresses issues involving national security and law, including matters relating to military detention, the use of force, terrorism-related prosecutions, the role of the courts in national security affairs and the relationship between military and intelligence community activities. He is a co-founder and contributor along with
Benjamin Wittes
Benjamin Wittes (born November 5, 1969) is an American legal journalist and Senior Fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution, where he is the Research Director in Public Law, and Co-Director of the Harvard Law School–Brookings ...
and
Jack Goldsmith
Jack Landman Goldsmith III (born September 26, 1962) is an American legal scholar. He is a professor at Harvard Law School who has written extensively in the fields of international law, civil procedure, federal courts, conflict of laws, and na ...
to the ''
Lawfare Blog
''Lawfare'' is an American blog dedicated to national security issues, published by the Lawfare Institute in cooperation with the Brookings Institution. It has received attention for articles on Donald Trump's presidency.
Background
The blog w ...
''. He also co-hosts ''The National Security Law Podcast'' with fellow Texas law professor
Stephen Vladeck.
Career
In addition to his post at the University of Texas School of Law, Chesney is also a non-resident senior fellow at the
Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution, often stylized as simply Brookings, is an American research group founded in 1916. Located on Think Tank Row in Washington, D.C., the organization conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in e ...
, a senior editor for the ''Journal of National Security Law & Policy'' and director of the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law. He also holds a courtesy appointment at the LBJ School of Public Policy. In 2009, he served on the Detention Policy Task Force created by President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
, which was tasked with developing long-term policy in relation to the capture, detention, trial or other disposition of persons in the context of combat and
counterterrorism operations.
Previously, he was a law professor at
Wake Forest University School of Law
The Wake Forest University School of Law is one of the professional graduate schools of Wake Forest University. Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Wake Forest University School of Law is a private American Bar Association (ABA) accredite ...
. Before that he practiced law with Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York. He clerked on both the
and the
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (in case citations, 2d Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. Its territory comprises the states of Connecticut, New York and Vermont. The court has appellate ju ...
. Chesney is a ''magna cum laude'' graduate of both Harvard Law School and Texas Christian University.
In May 2022, it was announced that Chesney had been selected to be the next dean of the University of Texas School of Law, succeeding
Ward Farnsworth, who had held the position since 2012.
Teaching
Chesney has taught a range of subjects, including constitutional law, national security law, evidence, the role of the judiciary in national security affairs, civil procedure, and U.S. counterterrorism policy in legal and historical perspective.
[ He was named Wake Forest University School of Law's Teacher of the Year for 2004 and 2007.]
Lawfare Blog
'
Publications
Chesney has written or co-authored many articles relating to the legal aspects of U.S. national security policies and practices:
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Podcast
Chesney co-hosts the ''National Security Law Podcast
A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosin ...
'' with fellow University of Texas law professor Stephen Vladeck.
References
External links
Lawfare Blog
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National Security Law Podcast
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Chesney, Robert M.
Living people
American lawyers
Wake Forest University faculty
Harvard Law School alumni
Texas Christian University alumni
University of Texas School of Law alumni
1971 births