John V. Orth
William Rand Kenan Jr. Professor of Law Emeritus
Areas of Expertise
- Legal History
- Property Law and Real Estate
- Trusts & Estates
Biography
John V. Orth joined the Carolina Law faculty in 1978 and serves as the William Rand Kenan, Jr. Professor of Law. He teaches first-year Property, Trusts & Estates, and Legal History. Orth is the author of six books, three of them published by Oxford University Press, and ninety articles and book chapters. His writings cover a wide array of topics including labor law, constitutional law (both federal and state), legal history, wills and trusts, and basic property law. His works have been cited by federal and state courts, including the United States Supreme Court and the North Carolina Supreme Court. He has extensive contacts with Australian law professors and has published several articles comparing American and Australian law.
Orth has a law degree from the Harvard Law School and a Ph.D. in history from Harvard University. After completing his studies, he clerked for Judge John Gibbons of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3d Circuit. While teaching, he has maintained contact with the practice of law by consulting on questions concerning property, constitutional law, and wills and trusts.
Education
- Ph.D., Harvard University (1977)
- M.A., Harvard University (1975)
- J.D., Harvard University (1974)
- A.B., Oberlin College (1969)
Selected Publications
"Catch a Falling Star": The Bluebook and Citing Blackstone’s Commentaries, 2020 U. ILL. L. REV. ONLINE 125 (2020).
Westlaw | Lexis/Nexis | Hein | BEPress
Balancing Justice Needs and Private Property in Constitutional Takings Provisions: A Comparative Assessment of India, Australia, and the United States (with K. Ashok & P. Babie), 42 FORDHAM INT'L L.J. 999 (2019).
Westlaw | Lexis/Nexis | SSRN | Hein | BEPress
Unconstitutional Emoluments: The Emoluments Clauses of the North Carolina Constitution, 97 N.C. L. REV. 1727 (2019).
Westlaw | Lexis/Nexis | Hein | BEPress
Blackstone (M. Dubber & C. Tomlins eds.), in OXFORD HANDBOOK OF LEGAL HISTORY (Oxford U. Press, 2018).
K150 .O94 2018
Recent Developments in North Carolina Property Law: Where is the Supreme Court of North Carolina, 95 N.C. L. REV. 1561 (2017).
Westlaw | Lexis/Nexis | Hein | BEPress
The Honoré-Waldron Thesis: A Comparison of the Blend of Ideal-Typic Categories of Property in American, Chinese and Australian Land Law (with P. Babie & C. Weng), 91 TUL. L. REV. 739 (2017).
Westlaw | Lexis/Nexis | SSRN | Hein | BEPress
Torrens Title in North Carolina--Maybe a Hundred Years is Long Enough, 39 CAMPBELL L. REV. 271 (2017).
Westlaw | Lexis/Nexis | Hein | BEPress
The Past is Never Dead: Magna Carta in North Carolina, 94 N.C. L. REV. 1635 (2016).
Westlaw | Lexis/Nexis | Hein | BEPress
"Without Precedential Value"--When the Justices of the North Carolina Supreme Court are Equally Divided, 93 N.C. L. REV. 1719 (2015).
Westlaw | Lexis/Nexis | Hein | BEPress
Interest Follows Principal: Why North Carolina Should Pay Interest on Unclaimed Personal Property, 37 CAMPBELL L. REV. 321 (2015).
Westlaw | Lexis/Nexis | Hein | BEPress | Document Link
In the Media
- 'He is Geppetto!' 73-year-old UNC Law professor goes viral after recording a video lecture with a PINOCCHIO doll sitting in the front row because he didn't want to teach an empty class (Daily Mail)
- The Professor Teaching to One Lone Pinocchio Doll - John Orth (New York Magazine)
- Orth Op-Ed: Our Hobson's Choice on Retention Elections in North Carolina (News and Observer)