51³Ô¹Ï

Lia Epperson is a Professor of Law at 51³Ô¹Ï Washington College of Law and a nationally recognized expert in the areas of constitutional law, civil rights, and education policy. Published in leading journals, Professor Epperson’s scholarship centers on the constitutional dialogue between federal courts and the political branches, and its implications for educational equity. She previously served as Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs and as the Director of the Doctor of Juridical Studies Program. Professor Epperson received the 51³Ô¹Ï Excellence in Teaching Award in 2022. This year, she is serving as the Inaugural Microsoft Racial Equity Fellow at Howard University School of Law.

In 2018-2019, Professor Epperson was awarded an Institute for Advanced Studies Fellowship with the Collegium de Lyon in Lyon, France where she worked with international scholars on issues of constitutional law and fundamental rights. Among other international engagements, she has served as a visiting professor and lecturer at the University of Navarra, Central European University, and the University of Galway. Professor Epperson has appeared on news outlets including the BBC, CNN, NBC News, CBS, NPR, and C-SPAN.

Professor Epperson previously served on the faculties of University of Maryland and Santa Clara University, and as a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress where she focused on civil rights enforcement of educational policies and practices. Prior to becoming a law professor, she directed the education law and policy group of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF). While there, she litigated in federal and state courts, advocated for federal administrative and legislative reforms, co-authored multiple amicus briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court, and represented LDF in several national civil rights leadership coalitions. Professor Epperson began her legal career as a law clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and was an attorney with a large international law firm where she handled trial and appellate litigation as well as pro bono civil rights cases.

Professor Epperson currently serves on the National Board of Directors of the American Civil Liberties Union and the Project on Government Oversight.

Professor Epperson received her law degree from Stanford University where she was an NAACP Legal Defense Fund Scholar and an editor of the Stanford Law Review and the Stanford Law and Policy Review. She received her bachelor's degree, magna cum laude, from Harvard University.