Jed Rubenfeld


Jed L Rubenfeld is an American lawyer and novelist. The Robert R. Slaughter Professor of Law at Yale Law School, he is an expert on constitutional law, privacy, and the First Amendment. He joined the Yale faculty in 1990 and was appointed to a full professorship in 1994. Rubenfeld has also taught as a visiting professor at both the Stanford Law School and the Duke University School of Law. Married to Amy Chua with two daughters, he is also the author of two novels.

Early life

Rubenfeld was born and raised in Washington D.C. in a Jewish family. His father was a psychotherapist and his mother was an art critic. He graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University with an A.B. in philosophy in 1980 and magna cum laude from Harvard Law School with a J.D. in 1986.
He also studied theater in the Drama Division of the Juilliard School between 1980 and 1982. Rubenfeld clerked for Judge Joseph T. Sneed on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in 1986–1987. After his clerkship, he worked as an associate at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and as an assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York.

Books

In 2018, Rubenfeld was investigated by Yale Law School for allegations of harassment and inappropriate conduct, particularly towards female students, with the investigation being conducted by Title IX investigator Jenn Davis. The investigation began when a student alleged that he told her that Judge Brett Kavanaugh favored a certain "look" for female clerks. The school promised a thorough investigation of any potential faculty misconduct. Rubenfeld and Chua—who faced similar claims—denied all allegations, and Yale did not find any cause for sanction, with Chua returning to regular teaching.

Personal life

Rubenfeld is Jewish. He resides in New Haven, Connecticut and is married to Yale Law School professor Amy Chua, author of the books and Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. The couple co-wrote The Triple Package: How Three Unlikely Traits Explain the Rise and Fall of Cultural Groups in America.
Rubenfeld and Chua have two daughters, the oldest of whom told the New Yorker in 2014, "my dad totally thrives on confrontation."