Sujit Choudhry

Choudhry joined the faculty of the University of Toronto in 1999[12] and received tenure in 2004.[13] As of 2006 he was professor and the Scholl chair in law at the University of Toronto.[14] From 2008 to 2011 he served as associate dean.[15] Choudhry left the University of Toronto in 2011 when he was hired by New York University.[16][17] At NYU, Choudhry was the Cecelia Goetz Professor of Law and the faculty director of the Center for Constitutional Transitions in 2012.[18]

In June 2014, Choudhry became Dean of Law at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law,[16] where he was also named the I. Michael Heyman Professor of Law. In March 2015, he was accused of sexual harassment by his executive assistant, Tyann Sorrell.[19] Choudhry denied sexually harassing Sorrell, but acknowledged giving hugs and kisses without sexual intent.[7] The university's office for the prevention of harassment and discrimination concluded that Choudhry's behavior had violated campus sexual harassment policies, and also said sexual intent was not required to demonstrate a violation.[7][5][6] In March 2016, Sorrell filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Choudhry in the Alameda County Superior Court,[20] and against the Regents of the University of California for their failure to respond effectively to her complaint against Choudhry.[21] Choudhry thereafter went on an indefinite leave of absence from his position as dean,[22][5][6][23] but continued to remain a member of faculty.[24] His return to the Berkeley campus in September 2016 as a member of faculty was met by student protests.[21] The lawsuit resulted in settlement agreements, under which Choudhry agreed to pay a total of $50,000 to Sorrell's attorneys, a contribution that his lawyer William Taylor called "relatively minimal." Choudhry also agreed to pay $50,000 to charities of Sorrell's choice.[8][9] The university terminated the disciplinary process, and Choudhry was permitted to remain a member of the faculty "in good standing", until he "voluntarily" resigned the following year.[25] Choudhry sued Berkeley, alleging racial discrimination, but dropped the complaint following the settlement.[7][8]

In 2005, Choudhry helped to draft a letter to the Canadian Parliament arguing that a proposal to outlaw same-sex marriage was unconstitutional.[26]

In 2021, Choudhry represented Canadian author Joel Bakan in a lawsuit against Twitter, claiming Twitter's refusal to publish a paid tweet promoting Bakan's documentary The Corporation violated Bakan's free speech rights; Choudhry also sued the Canadian government for failing to issue regulations that protect constitutional freedom of speech on technology platforms.[27] In 2023, the Ontario Superior Court ruled against Twitter's attempt to have the case thrown out.[28]

In 2021, Choudhry represented seven families in a citizenship case challenging the constitutionality of a 2009 change in the Canadian Citizenship Act.[29] He argued that the law unconstitutionally cut off birthright citizenship to children born abroad to Canadian parents who were also born outside Canada, effectively making the children stateless persons.[30]

Choudhry also participated in the Public Order Emergency Commission hearing of Trudeau's actions in October 2022.[31] He cross-examined the Prime Minister about his decision to invoke the Emergencies Act.[32][33] Choudhry questioned Trudeau on whether he properly disclosed information about deliberations leading to the decision.[34]