Joel K. Goldstein, J.D.
Vincent C. Immel Professor of Law Emeritus
Courses Taught
Admiralty, Constitutional Law I, Constitutional Law II, Seminar: Constitutional Interpretation, Seminar: Justice Brandeis, Seminar: The Constitution and the Presidency, Seminar: Thomas F. Eagleton and Public Law
Education
B.Phil. (Politics) 1977 and D. Phil (Politics) 1978, Oxford University, Oxford, England on Rhodes Scholarship
J.D., Harvard Law School, 1981 (note editor of the Harvard Law Review)
Practice Areas
- Admiralty Law
- Constitutional Law
- Federal Courts
- Presidency
- U.S. Supreme Court
- Vice-Presidency
Publications and Media Placements
Joel K. Goldstein is a highly respected scholar of the Vice Presidency, Presidency,
and Constitutional Law, having written widely in all three areas. He is continually
sought by national and international media outlets to provide commentary and insight
during the presidential campaigns.
Goldstein is perhaps best known for his work on the vice presidency. His doctoral
dissertation grew into his first book, The Modern American Vice Presidency: The Transformation of a Political Institution (Princeton University Press 1982). More recently, he has written a second book on
the subject, The White House Vice Presidency: The Path to Significance, Mondale to Biden (Kansas,
2016). He has written numerous scholarly articles and commentary pieces on the vice presidency
and is frequently interviewed by national and international media on the subject.
Over the years, Goldstein has written books as well as numerous chapters and articles on the executive branch, constitutional law and admiralty law for prestigious legal journals.
Goldstein is currently working on a book on the national political career of Senator Edmund S. Muskie.
Community Work and Service
After law school, Goldstein was a law clerk for Judge W. Arthur Garrity, Jr. of the Federal District Court in Massachusetts, and practiced admiralty law for 12 years at Goldstein and Price in St. Louis.
Professor Goldstein joined SLU LAW in 1994, was associate dean of faculty from 2001-2004 and was awarded the Vincent C. Immel Professorship in 2005. His most satisfying teaching experience came in the seminar on the Presidency and the Constitution, which he taught with the late Thomas F. Eagleton.