Lee J. Strang
John W. Stoepler Professor of Law & Values, University of Toledo College of Law
About Me
Professor Strang joined the faculty in 2008, was granted tenure in 2010, and was named John W. Stoepler Professor of Law & Values in 2015. Before that, he was a visiting Professor at Michigan State University College of Law.
A graduate of the University of Iowa, where he was Articles Editor of the Iowa Law Review and Order of the Coif, Professor Strang also holds an LL.M. degree from Harvard Law School. During the fall, 2015, Professor Strang was a visiting scholar at the Georgetown Center for the Constitution.
In 2016, he was appointed to the Ohio Advisory Committee of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
The University of Toledo awarded Professor Strang its Outstanding Faculty Research and Scholarship Award in 2017.
During the 2018-2019 academic year, Professor Strang was a visiting fellow at the James Madison Program at Princeton University.
Professor Strang received The University of Toledo’s Inclusive Excellence Award in 2021 for his contributions to the University’s diversity, and President Postel conferred on Professor Strang the 2021 UToledo Creative and Scholarly Activity Award.
Publications
A prolific scholar, Professor Strang has published dozens of articles in the fields of constitutional law and interpretation, property law, and religion and the First Amendment. His most recent book, Originalism’s Promise: A Natural Law Account of the American Constitution (Cambridge University Press 2019), is the first natural law justification for originalism. Among other scholarly projects, he is currently editing the third edition of his unique, multi-volume, “modular” case book Federal Constitutional Law for Carolina Academic Press, and writing a book on the history of Catholic legal education.
Originalism’s Promise: A Natural Law Account of the American Constitution
On Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020, the college celebrated the book release of “Originalism’s Promise: A Natural Law Account of the American Constitution” (Cambridge University Press 2019) by Lee J. Strang, John W. Stoepler Professor of Law & Values. The session was followed by a book sale and signing.
The foundation of the American legal system is its longstanding written Constitution. In his lecture, Strang provided the first natural law justification for an originalist interpretation of the U.S. Constitution.
“‘Originalism’s Promise’ is the product of over twenty years of thinking through two common American commitments,” said Strang. “First, Americans strive to be faithful to our Constitution. Second and following the Declaration of Independence, many Americans are committed to some version of natural law. I’ll argue that, together, these commitments suggest that Americans of all stripes should utilize originalism to interpret our common Constitution. In this presidential election year, my goal is to inform Americans as they debate the Supreme Court’s future.”
Federal Constitutional Law (Volume 1)
Scott W. Gaylord, Christopher R. Green & Lee J. Strang, Cases and Materials on Federal Constitutional Law: Introduction to Interpretive Methods, and Federal Judicial Power (2d ed. Carolina Academic Press 2015) (Volume 1 in the Modular Casebook Series)
Federal Constitutional Law (Volume 2)
Scott W. Gaylord, Christopher R. Green & Lee J. Strang, Cases and Materials on Federal Constitutional Law: Federal Executive Power and the Separation of Powers (2d ed. Carolina Academic Press 2015)(Volume 2 in the Modular Casebook Series)
Federal Constitutional Law (Volume 3)
Scott W. Gaylord, Christopher R. Green & Lee J. Strang, Cases and Materials on Federal Constitutional Law: Federal Legislative Power (2d ed. Carolina Academic Press 2015) (Volume 3 in the Modular Casebook Series)
Federal Constitutional Law (Volume 4)
Scott W. Gaylord, Christopher R. Green & Lee J. Strang, Cases and Materials on Federal Constitutional Law: Federalism Limits on State and Federal Power (2d ed. Carolina Academic Press 2017) (Volume 4 in the Modular Casebook Series)
Federal Constitutional Law (Volume 5)
Scott W. Gaylord, Christopher R. Green & Lee J. Strang, Cases and Materials on Federal Constitutional Law: The Reconstruction Amendments (2d ed. Carolina Academic Press 2016) (Volume 5 in the Modular Casebook Series)
Federal Constitutional Law (Volume 6)
Scott W. Gaylord, Christopher R. Green & Lee J. Strang, Cases and Materials on Federal Constitutional Law: The First Amendment (Carolina Academic Press 2014) (Volume 6 in the Modular Casebook Series)
Lee’s Federalist Society Short Videos
Videos of Lee’s Talks
Classical Charter School Consulting
Professor Strang is a founder and the School Board President of Northwest Ohio Classical Academy (NOCA), the first classical charter school in Ohio, and a curriculum affiliate of Hillsdale College’s Barney Charter School Initiative. Lee has led NOCA’s growth from 210 students to nearly 500 students in three years, including NOCA’s $10 million expansion.
He is an expert on what it takes to open and grow a classical charter school. Lee is available to consult with organizations starting and growing classical schools, as well as speaking on behalf of groups who are interested in taking on this endeavor.
