Sujit Choudhry

Sujit Choudhry is a globally renowned constitutional lawyer, scholar and entrepreneur. A notable authority figure on constitutional law and politics, Choudhry is also the creator and Director of the Center for Constitutional Transitions, one of the most reputable organizations that creates and shares knowledge in support of constitution building. The center has established an international network of experts by which it produces evidence-based policy options for decision-makers and agenda-setting research. It is also partnered with multilateral organizations, think tanks, and NGOs worldwide.

Choudhry’s background and expertise spans more than two decades, during which he has traveled to 30 countries to speak about constitutional law and politics. He has also been a constitutional advisor on a wide range of issues such as political violence, ceasefires, and public discussion facilitation. His expertise includes a wide-ranging research agenda as well as advising to constitution building processes including Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Myanmar, Nepal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Ukraine and Yemen. Furthermore, Choudhry was invited by the World Bank and the United Nations Development Program to be a consultant to the World Bank Institute. He is also associated with the United Nations Mediation Roster.

Choudhry is renowned for his ability to apply his knowledge to multiple countries, cultures, and governments with constructive and insightful suggestions. As such, he has helped key politicians, government organizations, technology companies, and many other entities worldwide. His background covers nearly all facets of constitution building, from drafting reports to developing engagement strategies.

Choudhry’s broad research repertoire includes a variety of issues in comparative constitutional law and politics. He has explored topics such as constitutional design as a tool to manage the transition from violent conflict to peaceful democratic politics; constitutional design in ethnically divided societies; federalism, decentralization and secession; semi-presidentialism; constitutional courts and transitional justice; official language policy; minority and group rights; bills of rights; constitutional design in the context of transitions from authoritarian to democratic rule; constitution building processes; security sector oversight; and basic methodological questions in the study of comparative constitutional law.

Choudhry’s publication record encompasses over ninety pieces, including articles, book chapters, working papers, and reports. He has edited pieces such as The Migration of Constitutional Ideas, Constitutional Design for Divided Societies: Integration or Accommodation?, The Oxford Handbook of the Indian Constitution, and Constitution Making (in press). The scholar has also written insightful opinion pieces in which he has shared his thoughts on several important topics across the globe, from the potential Catalan secession to Canadian constitutional issues.

Choudhry also holds several professional memberships, including being a member of the Executive Committee of the International Society of Public Law, the Board of Editors of the International Journal of Constitutional Law, the Editorial Board of the Constitutional Court Review, and the Editorial Advisory Board for the Cambridge Studies in Constitutional Law.

Choudhry was born in Delhi, India to a father who was an economics professor at the University of Toronto and a mother who taught nursing classes. Choudhry grew up in Toronto, Canada and later earned a bachelor's degree in law in 1994. In 1996, Mr. Choudhry earned another law degree from the University of Toronto and finished his graduate degree in law at Harvard Law School in 1998. One year later, he began working as a professor at the University of Toronto where he became tenured in 2004.

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