Berkeley Law Establishes New Democracy Research Center in Honor of Christopher Edley, Jr.

The University of California, Berkeley has recently established The Edley Center on Law & Democracy, named for the late Christopher Edley, Jr., dean of Berkeley Law from 2004 to 2013. Professor Edley passed away on May 10 of this year at the age of 71. The Edley Center on Law & Democracy will focus its efforts on advancing the understanding of threats to America’s democracy, such as gerrymandering, voting restrictions, and financial influence in politics. Students and faculty, as well as external lawyers and scholars from other institutions will participate in the center’s research projects and advocacy programs. Berkeley Law plans to hire an executive director to lead the center’s operations. Professor Edley had a career in higher education that spanned over 30 years, in addition to decades of experience in public service. Before joining the Berkeley faculty in 2004, he taught at Harvard Law school and founded the Harvard Civil Rights Project. Throughout his lifetime, he held several advisory positions for Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama, his former law school student at Harvard. Professor Edley received his bachelor’s degree from Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. He held a master’s degree and a law degree from Harvard University....