Michael T. Morley

Florida State University College of Law

Professor Morley joined FSU Law in 2018, and teaches and writes in the areas of election law, constitutional law, remedies, and the federal courts. His research focuses on election emergencies, the constitutional right to vote, and the Electoral Count Act, as well as the equitable powers of the federal courts.  He is an elected member of the American Law Institute and serves as an advisor for the ALI’s Restatement of Torts: Remedies project.  Professor Morley is a member of the Florida Advisory Committee for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and was the 2021 Chair of the AALS Section on Election Law.  He has testified before congressional committees, made presentations to election officials for the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, and participated in bipartisan blue-ribbon groups to develop election reforms. The Governor of Florida also appointed Professor Morley to the Criminal Punishment Code Task Force to propose potential revisions to the legislature. 

Professor Morley’s work has been published in many of the nation’s top law reviews, including the Georgetown Law Journal, Virginia Law Review, and Northwestern University Law Review. The U.S. Supreme Court has cited Professor Morley’s articles, and he was counsel of record for the successful Petitioner in a landmark campaign finance case. Professor Morley has appeared on C-SPAN, Court TV, Fox News and numerous local news programs, and has been quoted in The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Roll Call, Politico, U.S. News & World Report, and a wide range of other national publications.   Before joining FSU Law, Professor Morley was a Climenko Fellow and Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School. Prior to his experience in academia, he served in government as Special Assistant to the General Counsel of the Army at the Pentagon, as well as a law clerk for Judge Gerald B. Tjoflat of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. During his tenure with the Army General Counsel’s office, he was awarded the Meritorious Civilian Service Award and the Army Staff Lapel Pin. He also worked as an associate at Williams & Connolly LLP and the Critical Motions & Appeals group of Winston & Strawn, LLP, both in Washington, D.C.  Professor Morley earned his J.D. from Yale Law School in 2003, where he was a senior editor on the Yale Law Journal; served on the moot court board; and received the Thurman Arnold Prize for Best Oralist in the Morris Tyler Moot Court of Appeals.