Sam J. Merchant

Sam J. Merchant is an associate professor of law. His research centers on sentencing theory and the intersection of criminal law and constitutional law. His scholarship analyzes modern criminal and constitutional practices through an empirical and historical lens. He teaches Constitutional Law, Criminal Procedure, Sentencing, and Habeas Corpus. Professor Merchant is a member of the United States Sentencing Commission's Research and Data Practices Advisory Group and is research fellow at the Georgetown Law Center for the Constitution. He was most recently a visiting assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma College of Law. From 2022 to 2023, he served as a fellow at the Supreme Court of the United States, working at both the Supreme Court and the United States Sentencing Commission. In addition to an immersion in constitutional law and Supreme Court practice, Professor Merchant helped prepare amendments to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. He has previously worked as a federal law clerk, litigator, and business owner.

Professor Merchant has authored several law review articles and the book Revolution in Redline: The Iterative Journey of the U.S. Constitution, which traces the documents and ideas that inspired the Founding Documents and examines the drafting history of America's Founding Documents.