Ronald Rotunda

Ronald Rotunda began his legal career in 1970 as a Law Clerk in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. As a recent graduate of the Harvard University School of Law, he assisted one of the court's judges and was involved in the Pentagon Papers case. Ronald Rotunda next joined the Washington, D.C., law firm William Cutler & Pickering as an Associate. He returned to government service in 1974 as Assistant Counsel for the Senate's investigative committee on the Watergate Scandal.

After working on the Watergate case, Ronald Rotunda moved into academia as a professor at the University of Illinois College of Law. He stayed at the university for nearly three decades, teaching and writing books on constitutional law, international human rights law, and legal ethics. In 2002 Rotunda moved to the George Mason University Law School in Arlington, Virginia. During his time at George Mason University, he was called upon to act as Special Counsel to the Department of Defense. From 2004 to 2005 he helped the DOD navigate the requirements of U.S. and international law and had several of his proposals enacted into law.

Ronald Rotunda left George Mason University in 2008, to begin teaching at Chapman University in Orange, California. He continues to teach constitutional law as well as international human rights law, and legal ethics; his university webpage can be viewed at Chapman.edu/~rrotunda/. In 2009, he also became Commissioner for the California Fair Political Practices Commission. As one of five commissioners, Rotunda approved the rules governing local elections and campaign finance. He has limited state power to lobby voters with public money, simplified campaign regulations, and has made it easier for voters to give small donations to candidates using text messages.