MSPC Welcomes Scholar Robert G. Natelson as Senior Fellow in Constitutional Jurisprudence

Mountain States Policy Center (MSPC) – the nation’s fastest-growing free market think tank – is proud to announce that Robert G. Natelson has joined the organization as Senior Fellow in Constitutional Jurisprudence. One of America’s most respected constitutional scholars, his addition represents a major advance for MSPC and significantly expands the organization’s legal and constitutional research capacity.

Natelson is widely known for his pioneering work on the original meaning of the U.S. Constitution. For 23 years, he served as Professor of Law at the University of Montana, where he taught Constitutional Law and became a national authority on the framing and ratification of the Constitution. His research is distinguished by extensive use of Founding-Era sources often overlooked by other scholars, leading to important discoveries about key constitutional provisions.

His scholarship has been featured by many of the nation’s most prestigious academic publishers, including Cambridge University Press, the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, and the Texas Law Review.

Among his many scholarly “firsts”:

• He created The Scholarship of the Original Understanding of the Constitution, the first online guide to originalist research.

  
  

• He assembled the Documentary History of the Ratification of the Montana Constitution, the first organized online or print collection of materials presented to 1972 Montana constitutional ratifiers.

  
  

• He and his daughter Rebecca published the first complete Internet editions of Justinian’s Corpus Juris Civilis, the foundational collection of Roman law.

  
  

“Rob Natelson’s depth of knowledge and national reputation elevate MSPC’s work to a new level,” said Chris Cargill, President & CEO of Mountain States Policy Center. “His rigorous approach to constitutional scholarship and unmatched understanding of our nation’s founding principles will strengthen our policy research and expand our influence across the region and the country.”

Natelson’s expertise is rooted not only in scholarship but also in extensive real-world experience. Before entering academia, he practiced law in two states, operated two businesses, and wrote a real estate law column for the Rocky Mountain News. He later hosted Montana’s first statewide commercial radio talk show, became one of the state’s most recognized political voices, led the most successful petition referendum drive in Montana history, contributed to multiple legislative reforms, and was the runner-up in the 2000 Montana gubernatorial primary.

Outside of his work, he enjoys hiking and skiing with his wife and three daughters in the Rocky Mountain outdoors.

With Natelson’s addition, MSPC further solidifies its role as a leading voice for sound public policy and constitutional understanding across the Mountain West.

Mountain States Policy Center is an independent, nonpartisan research organization dedicated to free-market solutions, individual liberty, and government accountability. Learn more at mountainstatespolicy.org.