Dr. Sonja Starr

Professor

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Biography

Sonja B. Starr joined the University of Chicago Law School faculty after eleven years teaching at the University of Michigan as the Henry M. Butzel Professor of Law. She has also taught at the University of Maryland and Harvard Law School. Professor Starr graduated from Yale Law School and has clerked for Judges Merrick Garland on the DC Circuit and Mohamed Shahabuddeen in the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and Yugoslavia. Her research focuses on discrimination and disparity within the criminal justice system across various contexts including employment, education, and healthcare. Her work blends quantitative empirical research with traditional legal scholarship. Key topics she investigates include the use of predictive algorithms in sentencing and bail, statistical discrimination, racial disparities in prosecution and sentencing, and policies that aim to expand employment opportunities for people with criminal records. Her findings have been published in reputable journals such as the Quarterly Journal of Economics, Journal of Political Economy, Yale Law Journal, and Stanford and Harvard Law Reviews. Professor Starr teaches courses in Criminal Law, Constitutional Law Workshop, Race and Criminal Justice Policy, and Collateral Consequences of Criminal Convictions.

Research Interests

Courses

Criminal Law Constitutional Law Workshop Race and Criminal Justice Policy Collateral Consequences of Criminal Convictions

Requirements for University of Chicago

Doctorate Program
Requirements
TOEFL
Listening
Required:26
Reading
Required:26
Writing
Required:26
Speaking
Required:26
Total
Required:104
IELTS
Listening
Required:7
Reading
Required:7
Writing
Required:7
Speaking
Required:7
Overall
Required:7
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree Writing sample Candidate statement
Application Checklist
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  • Writing Sample
  • Application Fee
Specialization Notes

Department of Philosophy