Landmark Legal Foundation have awarded the 2024 John Locke Liberty Award to Seth Barrett Tillman of Maynooth University School of Law and Criminology (Scoil an Dlí agus na Coireolaíochta Ollscoil Mhá Nuad) for his extensive, decades-long work to advance separation of powers and principles of originalism in defense of liberty. His work has elevated originalism and textualism into viable and widely accepted methods for statutory and constitutional interpretation. His efforts to uncover and integrate important historical context into modern jurisprudence ensures that our legal system remains rooted in the vision of the Framers.
Seth's long research and work on the Foreign Emoluments Clause have appeared in multiple venues including United States Department of Justice’s and Solicitor General’s briefs, state-level departments of justice’s and state-level attorneys general’s briefs, and Congressional Research Service reports. Most recently, his comprehensive analysis of the historical underpinnings on the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment were integral in the legal case involving presidential disqualification.
Tillman is the author of dozens of law review articles, including publications in the University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law and the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy. His important and insightful commentary has appeared in various publications including The Claremont Review of Books and The New York Times.He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago and attended Harvard Law School. After law school he clerked for Judge Jane R. Roth on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, Judge Mark E. Fuller on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, Judge William J. Martini on the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, and then-Magistrate Judge Malachy E. Mannion on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
Congratulations Seth!