Legal career
Early career
Choudhry joined the faculty of the University of Toronto in 1999 [12] and received tenure in 2004. [13] As of 2006 he was professor and the Scholl chair in law at the University of Toronto. [14] From 2008 to 2011 he served as associate dean. [15] Choudhry left the University of Toronto in 2011 when he was hired by New York University. [16] [17] At NYU,Choudhry was the Cecelia Goetz Professor of Law and the faculty director of the Center for Constitutional Transitions in 2012. [18]
UC Berkeley and sexual harassment lawsuit
In June 2014,Choudhry became Dean of Law at the University of California,Berkeley School of Law, [16] where he was also named the I. Michael Heyman Professor of Law. In March 2015,he was accused of sexual harassment by his executive assistant,Tyann Sorrell. [19] Choudhry denied sexually harassing Sorrell,but acknowledged giving hugs and kisses without sexual intent. [7] The university's office for the prevention of harassment and discrimination concluded that Choudhry's behavior had violated campus sexual harassment policies,and also said sexual intent was not required to demonstrate a violation. [7] [5] [6] In March 2016,Sorrell filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Choudhry in the Alameda County Superior Court, [20] and against the Regents of the University of California for their failure to respond effectively to her complaint against Choudhry. [21] Choudhry thereafter went on an indefinite leave of absence from his position as dean, [22] [5] [6] [23] but continued to remain a member of faculty. [24] His return to the Berkeley campus in September 2016 as a member of faculty was met by a student protest. [21] [25] The lawsuit resulted in settlement agreements,under which Choudhry agreed to pay a total of $50,000 to Sorrell's attorneys,a contribution that his lawyer William Taylor called "relatively minimal." Choudhry also agreed to pay $50,000 to charities of Sorrell's choice. [8] [9] The university terminated the disciplinary process,and Choudhry was permitted to remain a member of the faculty "in good standing",until he "voluntarily" resigned the following year. [26] Choudhry sued Berkeley,alleging racial discrimination,but dropped the complaint following the settlement. [7] [8]
Notable cases
In 2005,Choudhry helped to draft a letter to the Canadian Parliament arguing that a proposal to outlaw same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. [27]
In 2021,Choudhry represented Canadian author Joel Bakan in a lawsuit against Twitter,claiming Twitter's refusal to publish a paid tweet promoting Bakan's documentary The Corporation violated Bakan's free speech rights;Choudhry also sued the Canadian government for failing to issue regulations that protect constitutional freedom of speech on technology platforms. [28] In 2023,the Ontario Superior Court ruled against Twitter's attempt to have the case thrown out.
In 2021,Choudhry represented seven families in a citizenship case challenging the constitutionality of a 2009 change in the Canadian Citizenship Act. [30] He argued that the law unconstitutionally cut off birthright citizenship to children born abroad to Canadian parents who were also born outside Canada,effectively making the children stateless persons. [31]
Choudhry also participated in the Public Order Emergency Commission hearing of Trudeau's actions in October 2022. [32] He cross-examined the Prime Minister about his decision to invoke the Emergencies Act. [33] [34] Choudhry questioned Trudeau on whether he properly disclosed information about deliberations leading to the decision. [35]
Scholarship
Choudhry is an author of the books The Migration of Constitutional Ideas,Dilemmas of Solidarity,Constitutional Design for Divided Societies,Oxford Handbook of the Indian Constitution,Constitution-Making,Territory and Power in Constitutional Transitions and Security Sector Reform in Constitutional Transitions.
Choudhry co-authored a report titled "Semi-Presidentialism and Inclusive Governance in Ukraine" with Thomas Sedelius and Julia Kyrychenko which was presented in April 2018 before Ukrainian constitutional experts in Kyiv. [36] He is the Director of the Center for Constitutional Transitions. [37]
Academic service
Choudhry was also a recipient of the Trudeau Fellowship and the South Asian Bar Associations of Southern California (SABA-SC) and Northern California (SABA-NC) each awarded him the "Trailblazer Award". [38] [39] [40]
In 2010,the Trudeau Foundation awarded Choudhry a Trudeau Fellowship. [41] The South Asian Bar Association of Toronto named Choudhry Practitioner of the Year in 2011. [42] In 2015,the South Asian Bar Associations of Southern California (SABA-SC) and Northern California (SABA-NC) each awarded Choudhry the "Trailblazer Award". [43]
Choudhry is the Director of the Center for Constitutional Transitions. [44] The Center for Constitutional Transitions partnered with the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) on preparing a set of thematic research reports on constitutional design for Middle East and North Africa (MENA) post Arab Spring. [45] The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has cited Choudhry's work in its reports. [46]
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