Jacob Hamburger is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Law at Cornell Law School. His research explores the legal processes at the federal, state, and local levels that shape the lives of noncitizens the United States. At Cornell, he has taught Civil Procedure as well as a seminar on immigration federalism. His scholarship has been published or is forthcoming in the Duke Law Journal and the Boston College Law Review.
Jacob earned a JD from the University of Chicago Law School, a master’s degree from the École Normale Supérieure (Paris), and a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University. He previously practiced immigration law as a staff attorney at Legal Aid Chicago. In addition to his scholarly publications, he has also written for a variety of popular outlets in both France and the United States. He speaks fluent French and Spanish, and in his spare time plays jazz piano and saxophone.
Scholarly Publications and Works in Progress
Immigration Law’s Internal Dimension (job market paper)
State Standing After United States v. Texas, 66 B.C. L. Rev. 1 (forthcoming 2025)
Hybrid-Status Immigrant Workers, 73 Duke L. J. 737 (2024)
Why Did Neoconservatives Join Forces with Neoliberals? Irving Kristol from Critic to Ally of Free-Market Economics, 6 Global Intell. Hist. 215 (2021) (with Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins)
Selected Public Writing and Media Appearances
Quoted in David W. Chen, “Inspired by Texas, Republicans in Other States Eye Immigration Bills,” N.Y. Times (March 20, 2024)
“Blue States' Plans for Migrant Workers Can Include or Exclude Biden,” The Hill (October 8, 2023) (with Stephen Yale-Loehr)
“What’s the Best Way to Help California Gig Workers? Protect Undocumented Immigrants,” S.F. Chronicle (March 22, 2023)
“The Fury in France,” N.Y. Times (December 10, 2019)
“Whose Populism? The Mixed Messages of La France Insoumise,” Dissent (Summer 2018)
“What Charlie Hebdo Taught Me About Freedom of Speech,” L.A. Rev. Books (January 7, 2017)
Teaching
Civil Procedure
Immigration Federalism (seminar)
Other teaching interests: Immigration law, Constitutional law, Administrative law, Labor & employment law, Criminal law, State & local government law