“The study and practice of law requires an understanding of how various areas of law fit together, and my goal as a professor is to not only guide students in making these connections, but to help them discover their passions among them."

Professor Quinn Yeargain (they/he) is an expert in state constitutional law and studies the relationship between the organization of state government institutions and the development of policy outcomes in different areas of law. They have published in the areas of criminal law, election law, environmental law, and legal history, and their current projects focus on the role of democracy in policy formation and on the role of elected prosecutors in modern state governments. Professor Yeargain’s work has been published (or has been selected for publication) in top-ranked law journals, including the Yale Law and Policy Review, UC Davis Law Review, Cardozo Law Review, Missouri Law Review, Texas A&M Law Review, and Ohio State Law Journal, and has recently been cited by the Idaho Supreme Court.

Professor Yeargain has joined amicus briefs in cases involving questions of state constitutional law and has advised voting-rights groups and plaintiffs as a consultant in redistricting litigation. They are a regular contributor to Bolts Magazine and the Brennan Center’s State Court Report, and regularly appear in the media to comment on topical issues in constitutional and election law.

Prior to joining the faculty at Widener Law Commonwealth, Professor Yeargain graduated from the Emory University School of Law with High Honors and as a Robert W. Woodruff Fellow. While at Emory, they served as the executive online editor of the Emory Law Journal and as the executive editor of the Emory Law Supreme Court Advocacy Program. After graduation, they clerked for Judge R. Lanier Anderson III on the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in Macon, Georgia. Professor Yeargain then served as the associate director of the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy and was appointed as a lecturer at the Yale School of the Environment in the Spring 2022 semester.

Outside of the classroom, Professor Yeargain enjoys hiking, jazz and ragtime music, playing board games (especially Clue and Reversi), and reading murder mysteries.

faculty directory a-d e-k l-p q-z