Duke Law Professor Joseph Blocher to Serve as 2026-2027 Presidential Fellow

headshot of Joseph Blocher

Joseph Blocher, the Lanty L. Smith Distinguished Professor of Law and faculty director of the Center for Firearms Law, has been selected to serve as Duke’s presidential fellow for the 2026-2027 academic year. 

Established by President Vincent Price in 2021, the Presidential Fellowship program provides a faculty member with a year-long opportunity to work alongside and collaborate with senior university administrators and develop a project or initiative in support of a university priority.  

A Durham native, Blocher earned his J.D. from Yale Law School and later clerked for Guido Calabresi of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and Rosemary Barkett of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

It was his experience as a clerk—immersed in reading and writing—that convinced Blocher he wanted to pursue a career in legal academia. When an opportunity arose at Duke in 2009, accepting the position was, as he put it, “an easy call.”

“Duke Law School has a uniquely vibrant and collegial intellectual culture,” Blocher explained. “And I was born and raised in Durham. My family’s here. My closest friends are here. I love it.

“So as soon as that was a possibility, there was no decision to be made.”

After transitioning directly from his clerkship to the Duke Law faculty, Blocher received the law school’s Distinguished Teaching Award in 2012. He later served as senior associate dean of faculty from 2023-2025 and as vice dean in 2025-2026. 

Blocher’s passion for constitutional law—he has co-authored four books on topics related to the Constitution with a fifth scheduled for publication in 2027—also sparked a broader curiosity about how institutions function and administrative decisions are made.

Through his nearly two decades of experience at Duke Law, Blocher has developed a deep understanding of the law school’s inner workings. That experience has fueled his desire to better understand leadership and decision-making at the university-wide level. Blocher is approaching the fellowship with the understanding that, as he put it, “I have a lot to learn.”

“To me, it is especially really fascinating and important at this moment to see how an institution maintains its foundational commitments while adapting to new challenges,” he added.

As a presidential fellow, Blocher will regularly engage with a range of senior administrators, including through one-on-one meetings with Price. Presidential fellows also participate in meetings of the Board of Trustees, the university’s Senior Leadership Group, the President’s Cabinet, and certain presidential and provostial committees. 

“Joseph has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to Duke and the Durham community, and I look forward to the insights and perspectives he will provide as a presidential fellow,” Price said.

During the fall, Blocher will have short rotations in administrative units across campus. Next spring, he will organize a special project designed to support a university priority.

The previous presidential fellows are Tyson Brown (professor of sociology and medicine), Adrienne Stiff-Roberts (professor of electrical and computer engineering), Deondra Rose (professor of public policy), Iris Padilla (associate clinical professor in the School of Nursing and chief nursing strategic business operations officer at Duke University Health System), and Dan Scolnic (associate professor of physics in Trinity College of Arts & Sciences).