Dr. Christina Ponsa Kraus

Biography

Christina D. Ponsa-Kraus joined the faculty of Columbia Law School in 2007. She specializes in Legal History with a focus on American Legal History and Constitutional Law. Ponsa-Kraus, raised in Puerto Rico, examines the constitutional implications of American federalism and citizenship, particularly regarding the political status of Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories. She has contributed significantly to the field through both scholarly publications and mainstream media, addressing complex legal issues in a range of forums. Ponsa-Kraus co-edited "Foreign Domestic Sense: Puerto Rico, American Expansion, Constitution," a groundbreaking study exploring the U.S.'s unfinished colonial experiment. Her work includes various op-eds and presentations on Puerto Rico’s political future following recent developments. Notably, she clerked for Judge José Cabranes on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and for Justice Stephen G. Breyer on the U.S. Supreme Court. Ponsa-Kraus is also affiliated with Columbia University's Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race.

Research Interests