RIP Professor John S. Baker, Jr.

I am very sad to relay that Professor John S. Baker, Jr. has passed away. John was an iconic constitutional law professor. John also taught a separation of powers seminar with Justice Scalia for two decades. I regret never taking this class when I had the chance. John will be deeply missed.

The James Wilson Institute posted this remembrance:

JWI Remembers Professor John S. Baker, Jr.

1946 - 2025

Professor Emeritus of Law John S. Baker, Jr., Louisiana State University

September 12, 2025 Dear Friend, The James Wilson Institute joins all of those mourning the recent loss of our dear friend and affiliated scholar, Professor John S. Baker. Following years of slow decline in health due to complications from a life-saving surgery, Professor Baker passed on September 6th. While Professor Baker's passing represents an immense loss to the conservative legal movement, his memory will be long maintained by generations of his former students as well as practitioners who have benefited from his intellect, guidance, and mentorship. Baker was a profound educator talented in the classroom, both in the United States and abroad.

Baker was a leading authority on originalism, natural law, separation of powers, criminal law, and federalism with a mastery that was demonstrative of not only his brilliance, but also his passion. He was also an advocate. Baker famously argued before the Supreme Court in 1984 the religious freedom case of Wallace v. Jaffree. We link to the transcript of his argument here. A significant presence within the Federalist Society, Baker helped lead a variety of book clubs and seminars, most notably the Federalist Society's Separation of Powers Seminar co-taught with Justice Antonin Scalia for twenty years. Attendees of that seminar over the decades often described it as a highlight of their careers. Baker was also a regular contributor at JWI's Senior Seminar, from its inception fourteen years ago, where his presence and voice was a cherished constant by other JWI scholars. JWI Founder & Co-Director Hadley Arkes shares, "John Baker became one of the most devoted and leading figures in our Senior Seminar. He was a remarkable teacher at every turn, whether in a seminar, or walking among students in a large audience to draw them out and get his points through. There was nothing passive about him. His imagination and energy were persistently engaged. He was ever at work in creating new programs in this country, and exploring the possibility of imparting the premises of our constitutional order to a new generation in China. He was tenacious as an advocate and teacher—and unbreakable as a friend. And at every turn, he was the best of company. But at the very core he was a serious Catholic, and through it all, in arguments made with verve, there was also the thread of love—for the subject and for the telos, the end, to which everything in his life was so surely directed." In his memory, we would like to share with you a 2016 panel tribute to Justice Antonin Scalia featuring Professor Baker, Professor Arkes, and other esteemed thinkers. Click here to watch that tribute now. We send our deepest condolences to his wife Dayle, his family, and friends. Details on funeral services in the next week may be found here.

About Professor Baker Professor Baker previously served as the Dale E. Bennet Professor of Law at the Louisiana State University's Paul M. Herbert Law Center before coming Emeritus Professor of Law. He received his B.A. from the University from Dallas, JD from the University of Michigan Law School, and Ph.D. from the University of London. During his extensive teaching career, Professor Baker taught at the various law schools of New York University, Pepperdine, Tulane, George Mason, Hong Kong University, and the University of Dallas School of Managment. Baker was a Fulbright Fellow and Specialist and also held visiting professorships at Georgetown University and Oriel College, Oxford.