Dan Farber is the Sho Sato Professor of Law at the University of California, Berkeley. He is also the Faculty Director of the Center for Law, Energy, and the Environment. Professor Farber is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a Life Member of the American Law Institute.
Professor Farber is a graduate of the University of Illinois, where he earned his B.A., M.A., and J.D. degrees. He graduated, summa cum laude, from the College of Law, where he was the class valedictorian and served as editor-in-chief of the University of Illinois Law Review. After law school, he was a law clerk for Judge Philip W. Tone of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and then for Justice John Paul Stevens of the U.S. Supreme Court. Professor Farber practiced law with Sidley & Austin, where he primarily worked on energy issues, before returning to the University of Illinois as a faculty member in 1978. He taught at the University of Minnesota Law School faculty from 1981 to 2002, where he was the McKnight Presidential Professor of Public Law. He also has been a visiting professor at the Stanford Law School, Harvard Law School, and the University of Chicago Law School.
His most recent book is Contested Ground: How to Understand the Limits on Presidential Power (UC Press 2021). His earlier books include Research Handbook on Public Choice and Public Law (Elgar 2010) (with A. O’Connell); Judgment Calls: Politics and Principle in Constitutional Law (Oxford University Press 2008) (with S. Sherry); Retained by the People: The “Silent” Ninth Amendment and the Rights Americans Don’t Know They Have (Basic Books 2007); Lincoln’s Constitution (University of Chicago Press 2003); and Eco-Pragmatism: How to Make Sensible Environmental Decisions in an Uncertain World (University of Chicago Press 1999).
Education
B.A., University of Illinois (1971)
M.A., University of Illinois (1972)
J.D., University of Illinois (1975)
Daniel Farber is not teaching any Law courses in Spring 2024.
Courses During Other Semesters
Semester | Course Num | Course Title | Teaching Evaluations | Summer 2024 | 201S sec. 001 | Torts for LLMs | 206.51S sec. 001 | Advanced Writing Project | Summer 2023 | 201S sec. 001 | Torts for LLMs | View Teaching Evaluation | 206.51S sec. 001 | Advanced Writing Project | View Teaching Evaluation | Spring 2023 | 270.72 sec. 001 | Pathways to Carbon Neutrality | View Teaching Evaluation | 272.3 sec. 001 | Climate Change and the Law | View Teaching Evaluation |
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No room for novelty in ‘climate kids’ and Biden admin negotiation – experts
Professor Dan Farber says the Biden administration is unlikely to offer much in the way of concessions to a group of young Americans suing the federal government over actions they say contribute to climate change
Faculty, Friends, and Students Past and Present Toast Professor Stephen Sugarman’s Stellar Career
A recent event and a special tribute issue of the California Law Review celebrate Sugarman’s indelible mark on the school and his fields.
High Court Ruling on Jurisdiction Thaws Some Climate Cases
Professors Dan Farber and Andrew Bradt discuss the Supreme Court’s resolution of Ford Motor Co. v. Mont. Eighth Judicial Dist. Ct., a product liability case that clears a hurdle for a group of idled climate lawsuits
Biden EPA Ponders ‘Hail Mary’ Move on Greenhouse Gas Air Limits
Professor Daniel Farber discusses the Biden administration’s consideration of a push for national ambient air limits on greenhouse gases
14 Republican AGs say Biden can’t use EO to restore social costs of greenhouse gas
Professor Daniel Farber says a suit by 14 Republican attorneys general accusing President Joe Biden of exceeding his powers in an executive order regarding climate change appears tenuous
Op-Ed: This is the big risk if Biden copies Trump and uses an obscure rule to cancel regulatory rollbacks
Professor Dan Farber says to succeed, Democrats can’t afford to lose any votes from their side
Berkeley scholars’ outrage, reflections on U.S. Capitol mob siege
Berkeley Law experts reflect on the the attempted coup at the U.S. Capitol
Pro-Trump rioters could face up to 20 years in prison
Professor Dan Farber discusses potential legal fallout from the riots at the Capitol
Rolling Back and Pushing Forward: Berkeley Law Experts Weigh in on Environmental Policy Under Biden
Forecasting what to expect on climate and environmental policy during the first 100 days of the Biden administration and beyond.
International Effect: Nertila Kuraj Embodies Impact of Berkeley Law’s Visiting Scholars Program
Kuraj teams up with Professor Daniel Farber to assess the vital implications of gene editing for environmental purposes.
Election Implications: Professors Describe What to Expect in Various Areas of Law
Berkeley Law experts describe what to expect — depending on who wins the presidency and which party controls the Senate — from health care and the environment to immigration and criminal justice.
Climate Control
The nation’s top-ranked environmental law program ramps up an already robust set of climate initiatives.
Powering Partnerships
In Oakland, Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment is a partner in EcoBlock, a public-private collaboration aimed at sustainable neighborhood redevelopment. “It’s taking an existing residential block and trying to retrofit it with cutting-edge energy and water efficiency mechanisms in a replicable and hopefully scalable way.”
Professor Delivers a Telling State-by-State Report about Renewables in America
When it comes to energy policy, our attention veers to Washington, D.C. But Berkeley Law Professor Dan Farber will let you in on a little secret: state governments actually control much of this terrain. His new report, Beyond the Beltway, provides a revealing state-by-state survey of America’s energy landscape and the factors driving policy decisions.
New Faculty Books Feted with Comic Wordplay
Berkeley Law fetes its faculty authors and their most recent books on legal theory, ocean law, juvenile justice and more.
Korean and US Scholars Tackle Issues of Security, Con Law & Environment
Berkeley and Korean law scholars tackled issues of national security, constitutional law and the environment at an inaugural workshop last month that may set the stage for closer collaboration.
Retiring Staffer Leslie Stone Part of a Strong Family Imprint at UC Berkeley
A valued member of Berkeley Law’s Faculty Support Unit, Stone assisted a dozen professors this academic year.