Dr. Shaakirrah Sanders

Biography

Shaakirrah R. Sanders serves as the Associate Dean for Antiracism and Critical Pedagogy, Lewis H. Vovakis Distinguished Faculty Scholar, and Professor of Law at Penn State Dickinson Law. She teaches subjects including Constitutional Law and Criminal Procedure. Before entering the legal academy, Professor Sanders served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Lavenski R. Smith, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, and the Honorable Ivan L.R. Lemelle. She has practiced law with K&L Gates in Seattle, Washington, and the Public Defender Association in New Orleans, Louisiana. Professor Sanders attended Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, serving as the Index/Casenote Editor for the Loyola Law Review and recognizing the William Crowe Scholar at graduation. In 2004, she was a selected Pegasus Scholar in a legal exchange program between the United States and the United Kingdom. She holds a B.S. in Psychology from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut and is an inactive member of the bars in Louisiana, New York, and Washington, as well as federal district and circuit courts. Professor Sanders is a national board representative for Idaho on the Executive Committee of the ACLU National Board and has chaired several AALS sections. In 2022, she was named an Outstanding Scholar Conference Honoree at the 15th Annual Lutie Lytle Commemorative Black Women Law Faculty Workshop and received the University of Idaho College of Law Diversity and Human Rights Award.

Research Interests