Wilson Huhn Named Outstanding Law Professor of the Year

Akron, Ohio, May 22, 2008 — Professor Wilson R. Huhn received the 2008 Outstanding Professor of the Year Award at The University of Akron School of Law 2008 commencement ceremony.

Each year, members of the law school's graduating class nominate professors for the award. The class then selects from among the top nominees and the Student Bar Association presents the award at the law school's commencement ceremony.

“He has been described as the professor who turns law students into lawyers, because he teaches more than just the subject matter; he teaches a framework for making and challenging legal arguments,” says 2007-08 Student Bar Association president Katie Albrecht. “Students deeply respect and admire this professor, often despite having different beliefs about the controversial issues that we explore and analyze in his class. He gently encourages each student to consider all sides of any argument, and participates in debates and discussions outside of the classroom in order to facilitate this goal. He is kind and genuine, and we all hope that by learning from him, we are able to become just a little bit more like him.”

Huhn is a resident of Pepper Pike and joined UA in 1984. He is a C. Blake McDowell Jr. Professor and a Constitutional Law Research Fellow at the UA School of Law. He currently teaches courses in constitutional law, advanced constitutional law and commercial paper. He received his B.A. at Yale University and J.D., cum laude, at Cornell University, where he was a member of the Cornell Law Review. Prior to joining the UA School of Law faculty in 1984, he served as law clerk for the late Judge Leo A. Jackson in the 8th District Court of Appeals and as an associate at Squire, Sanders and Dempsey.

Huhn's book "The Five Types of Legal Argument" (Carolina Academic Press, 2002) is required reading at a number of law schools nationally. His recent publications include “Congress Has the Power to Enforce the Bill of Rights Against the Federal Government: Therefore FISA is Constitutional and the President's Terrorist Surveillance Program Is Illegal," 16 William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal, 2007 and “In Defense of the Roosevelt Court," Florida A&M University Law Review, 2007.

The graduating class selected Huhn as Outstanding Professor of the Year in 1987, 1997, 1999, 2003 and 2005; the Akron law alumni awarded him the Outstanding Publication prize in 2004 and 2006; and the law faculty named him the “Most Valuable Player” for his contributions to legal scholarship, 2001-2003. Huhn volunteers his time on community boards and serves as a coach for special needs athletic teams.

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