James Sample is a legal and political analyst focusing on issues of Constitutional Law and Democracy. He joined the Hofstra Law faculty in 2009, where he teaches courses in  Constitutional Law, Federal Courts, Civil Procedure, Administrative Law, and, on occasion, in the university’s Political Science department. On four occasions, graduating students of the law school have chosen him as the school’s Professor of the Year.

He regularly comments on legal and constitutional issues before governmental committees, on major broadcast and cable networks, in leading print publications, and at national conferences.

His scholarly work focuses on judicial ethics, campaign finance, voting rights, and constitutional democracy. His public commentaries have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Slate, Newsweek, The National Law Journal and numerous other publications.

Previously, he was an attorney in the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU. Before joining the Brennan Center, he worked on Brian Schweitzer's gubernatorial campaign in Montana. He clerked for Judge Sidney R. Thomas of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

He received his J.D. from Columbia Law School in 2003. While at Columbia, Professor Sample was a Harlan Fiske Stone and James Kent Scholar and a notes editor on the Columbia Law Review.

Citations to Professor Sample's work on issues related to democracy include in opinions of the U.S. Supreme Court, articles in the Harvard Law Review, Columbia Law Review and other leading journals, as well as in major media, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Economist, U.S. News & World Report, the Los Angeles Times, Reuters, National Public Radio, USA Today and The National Law Journal.

Prior to law school, Professor Sample was a three-time Emmy Award winner for his work as a producer with NBC Sports.