Daniel Brinks ‘04

Daniel Brinks is Associate Dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs and professor of government and of law at the University of Texas at Austin. He works in the fields of comparative politics and public law, and his research focuses on the role of the law and courts in supporting or extending human and fundamental rights associated with democracy, especially in Latin America. His most recent book, The DNA of Constitutional Justice in Latin America: Politics, Governance and Judicial Design (Cambridge University Press, 2018), examines constitutional change in Latin America since 1975, focusing particularly on judicial institutions and constitutional review. The book was awarded the prestigious C. Herman Pritchett Award for Best Book on Law and Courts in 2018. Dan earned a PhD in political science at the University of Notre Dame, where he’s been affiliated as a former Kellogg Institute Doctoral Student (PhD 2004), former Visiting Fellow (2006-07), and former Faculty Fellow.