Education
B.A., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
J.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Areas of Expertise
Constitutional Law
Contracts
Education Law
Legal Research & Writing

Amanda Harmon Cooley is a Professor of Law, the current holder of the Vinson & Elkins Research Professorship, and the former holder of the Wayne Fisher Research Professorship. She has committed her professional and personal life to social justice advocacy for marginalized populations through a unified vision of engaged scholarship, innovative teaching, and meaningful service.

She has authored over 30 law review articles, peer-reviewed journal articles, and book chapters on constitutional law, education law, and commercial law. Her recent scholarship on the First Amendment, school shaming punishments, and equal protection has been featured in a diverse set of leading law reviews including the Georgetown Law Journal, BYU Law Review (forthcoming), Ohio State Law Journal, Cardozo Law Review, University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law, and San Diego Law Review.

In teaching, she seeks to mentor students to prepare them to enter the profession of law as reflective practitioners who serve their communities through exemplary work. She was recognized for her excellence in teaching as a recipient of the Association of American Law Schools Teacher of the Year Award for South Texas College of Law Houston (STCL Houston) in 2018, 2020, and 2022.

Her work with STCL Houston, the legal profession, and the community reflects her commitment to purposeful service. As the Faculty Scholarship Committee chair, she facilitated a culture of academic inquiry within the law school and spearheaded the creation of a faculty scholarship mentorship program. She has consulted for the Kids’ Right to Read Project, a project of the National Coalition Against Censorship; regularly judges the National SCRIBES Best Brief and Law Review Award competitions; sits on the Houston Bar Association’s Lawyers for Literacy Committee; and regularly volunteers in Houston area public schools and non-profit organizations.

Before joining the faculty of STCL Houston, she was an Assistant Professor at the North Carolina A & T State University College of Business and Economics; a litigation associate in the Antitrust, Business Torts, and Intellectual Property group of Parker, Poe, Adams & Bernstein LLP; and a law clerk to the Honorable Hayden Head, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. She earned her J.D. with honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English with highest honors and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.