Quinn Yeargain (they/he) is an Associate Professor of Law and the 1855 Professor of the Law of Democracy at the Michigan State University College of Law, and teaches courses in constitutional and criminal law. Prior to joining the faculty at Michigan State, Professor Yeargain taught at the Widener University Commonwealth Law School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. They graduated from the Emory University School of Law and subsequently clerked on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit for Judge Lanier Anderson.

Professor Yeargain’s scholarship is organized around the relationship between democracy and legal developments. Their research focuses specifically on institutional changes in state constitutions through amendments, the use of democracy to expand and contract state constitutional rights and liberties, and the effect of democracy on the operation of the carceral state. Professor Yeargain is a co-author of State Constitutions: Institutions, Powers, and Rights, a state constitutional law casebook soon to be published by West Academic Publishing.

Outside of the classroom, Professor Yeargain is a regular guest on state and national television and radio programs and frequently comments on current events in news outlets, including the Brennan Center’s State Courts Report and Bolts. Professor Yeargain regularly files amicus briefs on matters relating to state constitutional law and has served as a consultant in redistricting litigation.

Download Curriculum Vitae (PDF)

J.D., Emory University School of Law
B.A., University of Central Florida