About Rob
Rob is a constitutional scholar and author whose published research has been cited
repeatedly by justices and parties at the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as by federal
appeals courts, and by at least 16 state supreme courts.
Rob’s Story
Professor Robert G. Natelson’s experience includes conducting and publishing research, education, outdoorsmanship, grass-roots activism, commercial talk radio, small business, initiative and referendum, political campaign management, journalism, and the teaching and practice of several fields of law. He also translated into Latin the beloved children’s classic, Edward
Ormondroyd’s David and the Phoenix.
Personal Life
Rob grew up on the Revolutionary War town of Stony Point, New York, which helps
explain his interest in the American Founding. Moreover, unlike most constitutional
writers, he was in the full-time practice of law for over a decade. Much of the law he
dealt with consisted of updated versions of the subjects treated in the law practices of
American Founders, including real estate, commercial law, and wills and trusts.
In addition to law practice, he has business experience in broadcasting and in
seminar sponsorship. The University of Colorado certified his qualification in the Latin
language at the PhD level.
He has been married to his wife Betty since 1981, and they have three daughters, two
sons-in-law, and five grandchildren. For recreation he loves to spend time in the great
outdoors, where he enjoys skiing and hiking. He also likes travel, science fiction, and
opera, and is active in the Denver Lyric Opera Guild.
National Constitutional Scholarship
Rob is a constitutional scholar and author whose published research has been cited repeatedly by justices and parties at the U.S. Supreme Court—as well as by federal appeals courts, and at least 16 state supreme courts. (See details below.)
He is the country’s most-published active scholar on the Constitution’s amendment procedure. He created the first-ever online bibliography for 18th century materials used in constitutional research. He is a contributing author to the Encyclopedia of the Supreme Court of the United States (on Magna Carta) and to the third edition of the Heritage Guide to the Constitution, with essays on the Guarantee Clause, Postal Clause, Recess Appointments Clause, and the amendment procedure.
After eleven years of “Main Street”-style law practice, Rob served 25 years as a law professor, serving at three different universities. He taught Constitutional Law, Constitutional History, Advanced Constitutional Law, and First Amendment. At various times he also taught real property law, contracts, remedies, commercial law, real estate transactions, trusts, homeowner associations law, water law, oil & gas law, and legal history.
Rob’s research into the Constitution’s original meaning has carried him to libraries throughout the United States and in Britain, including four months at Oxford University. His books and articles span many different parts of the Constitution, including groundbreaking studies of the Necessary and Proper Clause, the Indian Commerce Clause, federalism, Founding-Era interpretation, regulation of elections, and the amendment process of Article V.
Since 2013, Rob has become one of the most-cited constitutional scholars among U.S. Supreme Court justices. They have relied explicitly on his research in 39 citations in 11 separate cases. The cases are:
- Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency, 598 U.S. 651 (2023) (Thomas & Gorsuch, JJ., concurring)
- United States v. Vaello Madero, 596 U.S. 159, 170 (2022) (Thomas, J., concurring)
- Espinoza v. Montana Dep’t of Revenue, 591 U.S. 464, 501 (2020) (Alito, J., concurring)
- Haaland v. Brackeen, 599 U.S. 255, 338 (2023) (Thomas, J., dissenting)
- Health and Hospital Corp. of Marion Co. v. Talevski, 599 U.S. 166, 208 (2023) (Thomas, dissenting)
- Arizona State Legislature v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Comm’n, 576 U.S. 787, 836 (2015) (Roberts, C.J., dissenting)
- National Labor Relations Board v. Noel Canning, 573 U.S. 513, 576 (2014) (Scalia, J., concurring)
- Town of Greece v. Galloway, 572 U.S. 565, 605-05 (2014) (Thomas, J., concurring)
- Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc., 570 U.S. 1, 30 (2013) (Thomas, J., dissenting)
- Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl, 570 U.S. 637, 658-59 & passim (2013) (Thomas, J., concurring).
- Upstate Citizens for Equality v. United States, 583 U.S. 1004 (2017) (Thomas, J. dissenting from denial of certiorari).
In addition, he was the principal author of an amicus brief cited by Justice Elena Kagan in Chiafalo v. Washington, 591 U.S. 578, 592 (2020). He also has been cited on constitutional and non-constitutional subjects in these federal appeals court cases:
- By Justice (then Judge) Gorsuch in Kerr v. Hickenlooper, 754 F.3d 1156,1195 (10th Cir. 2014) (dissenting)
- United States v. Abbott, 110 F.4d 700, 759 (5th Cir. 2024) (Douglas, J., dissenting)
- Koch v. Village of Heartland, 73 F.4th 747, 752 (2022 (op. for court, St. Eve, J.)
- United States Telecom Ass’n v. Federal Communications Comm’n, 855 F.3d 381, 414 (D.C. Cir. 2017) (Srinivasan J., concurring)
- Upstate Citizens for Equality v. United States, 841 F.3d 556, 568 (2d Cir. 2016) (op. for court, Carney, J.)
- Berlin v. Renaissance Rental Partners, 723 F.3d 119 (2d Cir. 2013) (Jacobs, C.J., dissenting)
- CREW v. Trump, 939 F.3d , 131, 162 (2d Cir. 2019) (Walker, J., dissenting)
Rob’s work on constitutional and non-constitutional subjects also has been cited by the following:
- the highest state courts in Alaska, California, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont, and Washington;
- the highest court of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico;
- intermediate state appellate courts in Oregon and Washington; and
- U.S. District Courts in Colorado, Maine, Nevada, and Wisconsin.
He is a principal author of several Supreme Court briefs submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, and the Colorado and Montana Supreme Courts.
Other Scholarship
In addition to his work on U.S. constitutional issues:
- in conjunction with his eldest daughter Rebecca, he edited the first complete Internet versions of the Emperor Justinian’s great Roman law collection (in Latin);
- he has published widely on property law, legal history, legal remedies, and the initiative and referendum process; and
- he has published extensive historical and legal research on the Montana state constitution, and he created the database the Documentary History of the Ratification of the Montana Constitution.
He is a member of the Board of Scholars of th American Legislative Exchange Council. He formerly served as a senior advisor to the Convention of States Project and as Senior Fellow at the Initiative and Referendum Institute.
The Popular Market
For the popular market, Rob authored the highly influential Article V Handbook for state lawmakers and the popular book, The Original Constitution: What It Actually Said and Meant. In 2024, he translated the classic children’s book David and the Phoenix into Latin. His contributions have appeared such national outlets as The Washington Post, the Washington Times, The Economist, Law & Liberty, the Epoch Times, the American Spectator, the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, the Daily Caller, Townhall.com, The Hill, and CNSNews.
Activities in Colorado and Montana
Rob has split most of his adult life between Colorado (1977-1987; 2011-present and Montana (1987-2011). His writings have appeared in most major news outlets in Colorado and in all major news outlets in Montana, and he regularly makes personal and media appearances in both states. His professional offices are in Colorado, as is his law license. When living in Montana, he created and hosted the state’s first statewide commercial radio talk show; became Montana’s best known political activist (see here); led victorious ballot-issue campaigns, including the most successful petition-referendum drive in the state’s history (see here); and helped push through several important pieces of legislation. In June 2000, he was the runner-up among five candidates in the party primaries for Governor of the State of Montana.
