Professor of Law
B.A., Princeton; J.D., Yale

Assistant: LaShawn Demery

Phone: 9406

Biography

Professor Cook joined the Law Center faculty in 1991.  A magna cum laude graduate of Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of International and Public Policy, he graduated from the Yale Law School and practiced securities, venture capital and general corporate law.  He has completed two post-graduate fellowships, the first in Ethics and the Professions at the Kennedy School of Government and the second in Religion and Public Values at the Harvard Divinity School.  He presently teaches courses in Constitutional Law, Civil Rights and African-American Critical Thought, but has taught Corporate, Securities Law and Jurisprudence as well.  Professor Cook's scholarship has explored the relationship between progressive religious theology and progressive politics in America. His book, The Least of These: Race, Law and Religion in American Culture, explores the relevance of the social gospel and Dr. Martin Luther King's conception of the Beloved Community for race, class and cultural divides in American Society.  For his work as a scholar and community activist who has worked with various grassroots and faith-based initiatives, the American Bar Association honored Professor Cook as One of 21 Lawyers Leading America into the 21st Century, citing his "unique synergy of action and thought."  Professor Cook has appeared on numerous television and radio programs as a commentator on issues ranging from the Supreme Court and constitutional history to contemporary politics and race relations.