Published on November 9, 2021 by Morgan Black  
Denning Brannon

Cumberland School of Law Starnes Professor of Law Brannon P. Denning has been named one of the  20 most-cited young legal scholars in the country in a new essay published by the University of Chicago Law Review. Comprehensively, the essay lists the 50 most-cited legal scholars, individuals who have had a very notable impact on legal thought and institutions.

Denning's legal research focuses on constitutional law  and the U.S. Supreme Court. Specifically, he has written on the Commerce Clause and the dormant commerce clause; judicial and executive branch appointments; the constitutional amendment process; foreign affairs and the Constitution; and the Second Amendment, among other related topics. 

“I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I’d made that list," Denning said. "To be listed with others whose work I read and admire—and cite to—is very gratifying.  But just as gratifying is the fact that all of us are listed as ‘younger’ legal scholars!” 

In addition to the young scholars list in which Denning was included, other specialized lists include the most-cited international law scholars, the most-cited corporate law scholars, the most-cited scholars of critical race theory and feminist jurisprudence, the most-cited public law scholars, and the most-cited scholars of law and social science.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.