Danaya Wright is the Faculty Senate Chair and the T. Terrell Sessums & Gerald Sohn Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Florida, Levin College of Law where she researches and teaches Constitutional Law, Property, Wills and Trusts, and Legal History. She is also the co-Director of the Center for Governmental Responsibility, Florida’s oldest and most influential legal research and public policy center. Professor Wright received her B.A. and J.D. degrees from Cornell University, M.A.s from St. John’s College and the University of Arizona, and a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University. She has taught at the University of Florida since 1998 and served as the Faculty Senate Chair in 2006-07. She is an affiliate professor in the Departments of History and Gender, Sexualities, and Women’s Studies Research. Professor Wright’s scholarship has been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court and numerous lower federal and state courts. She is a recognized expert in the law of real property, including rail-trail conversions, federal takings, and heirs property. She has written a popular casebook in Estates and Trusts and another on Future Interests. Her legal history research on English Family Law reform has won numerous academic awards. She has helped draft legislation to facilitate the easier transfer of real property to protect homeowners and preserve neighborhoods. Her empirical work on probate and succession law has led to numerous grants and invitations to participate in important policy discussions aimed at protecting homeownership and reducing the racial wealth gap. Professor Wright has taught Constitutional Law, Property, Trusts & Estates, Future Interests, Advanced Constitutional Law, Legal History, and numerous seminars. She is an innovative teacher dedicated to helping every student maximize their potential. She has served on numerous task forces and committees across the College and University, most often with a focus on shared governance.
Chair, Faculty Senate - Term Expires 5/31/24