Martin J. Sweet

Martin J. Sweet is a scholar of American politics and a public commentator with a particular focus on constitutional law, the federal government, and the relationship between law and society. He holds a J.D. from the University of Minnesota and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and his work bridges the academy, the campaign trail, and the public square.

Sweet brings an interdisciplinary lens to questions about the Supreme Court, separation of powers, civil liberties, and the evolving role of courts in American life. He has appeared on television and radio, contributed op-eds and commentary to newspapers, and lectured widely on the intersection of law, politics, and society.

His experience extends well beyond the classroom. He served as CEO of Citizen Congress, a civic-technology firm that connected federal elected officials with their constituents through a mobile app. In presidential politics, he was National Director of Jewish Outreach for Marco Rubio’s 2016 campaign; on Rubio’s Senate campaign, he led outreach as well as grassroots and grasstops organizing. That combination — building coalitions, mobilizing constituencies, and operating at the highest levels of a national campaign — gives him a practitioner’s command of how law, politics, and public engagement actually intersect. Over his career he has been a faculty member, staff member, or visiting scholar at Purdue, Northwestern, Georgetown, and Florida Atlantic University, the University of Haifa (Israel), and Dickinson College.