Professor Dawinder "Dave" S. Sidhu

Assistant Professor of Law
B.A. 2000, University of Pennsylvania
M.A. 2003, Johns Hopkins University
J.D. 2004, The George Washington University
Member of the Maryland Bar

Dawinder “Dave” S. Sidhu joined the faculty of the University of New Mexico School of Law in 2011. His teaching and research focus on constitutional law, national security, civil rights, employment discrimination and education law. He has particular interest in exploring the rights and experiences of marginalized communities, such as the urban poor in American inner cities, detainees held in connection with the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim in the United States after 9/11.

A prolific scholar, Sidhu’s law review articles have appeared in the William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal, Buffalo Law Review, and Miami Law Review, among other journals, and his essays have been published online by the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Georgetown Law Journal, and SCOTUSblog, among other outlets. In 2009, Sidhu co-authored a book, Civil Rights in Wartime: The Post-9/11 Sikh Experience (Ashgate). His commentary has been published by the Albuquerque Journal, Baltimore Sun, salon.com, Legal Times and Jurist, among others.

Sidhu’s work at the UNM School of Law is enriched by his previous positions in academia, service with the federal government and pro bono activities. Before joining the UNM law faculty, he taught at the University of Baltimore School of Law and held research/fellowship posts at Harvard, Georgetown, and Stanford universities.

In terms of public service, Sidhu was a staff attorney in the policy arm of a federal civil rights office and served as a law clerk to a federal judge. In addition, he has drafted, on a pro bono basis, amicus briefs in several notable national security cases: Padilla v. Yoo, Ashcroft v. Iqbal, and al-Maqaleh v. Obama. 

Sidhu was elected into the Order of the Coif. He is member of the Maryland Bar and graduate of the Maryland State Bar Association’s Leadership Academy. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.

Contact Information

Ph.: 505-277-1094
Fax: 505-277-0068
Office: 3116
Email: