David Ramsey

• Position: Chair, Professor
• Department: Reubin O'D. Askew Department of Government
• Office Location: Building 960, Room 257
• dramsey1@uwf.edu
• Campus: 850.857.6116

Biography

Dr. David Ramsey, professor and department chair, teaches constitutional law and political philosophy.

His first book, “Antitrust and the Supreme Court,” examines the Supreme Court’s role in balancing the contentions of the political branches, business community, enforcement agencies and advocates of various schools of economic thought. He has also contributed chapters to two recent books: “The Founders, Hobby Lobby and the HHS Mandate,” in the book “The Most Sacred Freedom: Religious Liberty in the History of Philosophy and America’s Founding.” and “On the Marriage of Dred Scott” in the book “American Constitutionalism, Marriage and the Family: U.S. v. Windsor and Obergefell v. Hodges in Context," for which he also served as co-editor.

Ramsey is currently working on preparing a digital edition of the papers of Roger B. Taney, fifth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from 1836 to 1864, who authored several consequential opinions that played an important role in developing American law. This will be the first scholarly edition of Taney’s papers to be published in print or digital format. Once complete, it will fill an important gap in the historical record, providing easy access to new primary sources that will assist scholars currently working to reassess the development of American political institutions, law and society during the 19th century. 

Degrees & Institutions

Ramsey received his bachelor’s degree in government and English from Berry College, his master’s in liberal arts from St. John’s College and his doctorate degree in political science from Baylor University.

Keywords: political philosophy, constitutional law, Taney