David Collins, a current student in the Graham School’s Basic Program, recently had research from his doctoral studies cited by Justice Amy Coney Barrett in a U.S. Supreme Court majority opinion in an election law case. A practicing lawyer with a long-standing interest in history, David pursued his graduate studies part time while building his legal career and now continues his engagement with ideas through courses at Graham.
Lifelong learning can take many forms. For Graham School student David Collins, it has meant continuing to explore history and ideas alongside a career in law and a long-standing scholarly interest.
When the U.S. Supreme Court recently considered a significant election law case, Watson v RNC, Justice Amy Coney Barrett cited and quoted from David’s scholarship, Absentee Soldier Voting in Civil War Law and Politics, in her majority opinion. David, now a student in the Graham School’s Basic Program of Liberal Education for Adults, was surprised to see research from his doctoral studies enter a current legal discussion.
“I finished my PhD with no inkling that my dissertation would attract any attention at all, let alone come to bear on current legal disputes. For the Supreme Court to recognize my work was a very delightful surprise. It left me feeling somewhere between cloud nine and over the moon.”
David’s path as a scholar developed alongside his legal career. He pursued his graduate studies part time, largely through evening courses, while practicing law. He approached the study of history not as preparation for an academic career, but as a serious intellectual pursuit in its own right.
“I liked lawyering and had no aspirations for an academic career. For me, studying history was basically a hobby, albeit a pretty serious hobby. I feel more or less the same way about the Basic Program.”
Today, David continues that pursuit as a student in the Graham School’s Basic Program. Like many Graham learners, he brings years of professional experience and enduring questions to a community centered on thoughtful discussion and the exploration of ideas.
David’s story offers a reminder that learning need not be confined to a particular degree, profession, or period of life. Intellectual inquiry can remain an active and meaningful pursuit, continually opening new questions and new opportunities for engagement.
Read more about David’s work and its citation by the Supreme Court.
