A new report has documented the 100 top-cited legal scholars of 2025 in the United States, revealing major progress in women’s presence within the academic field.
To create their list, co-authors Rob Wiley and Melanie Knapp of the George Mason University Law Library examined articles published between 2019 and 2021 and determined which scholars have been cited the most by their peers. Now in its third year, Wiley and Knapp’s list showcases “who is writing the most impactful legal scholarship right now, regardless of career stage or institutional pedigree.”
In 2025, seven out of the 10 most-cited legal scholars were women — more than double the number in 2024 and 2023. The overall number of women in the top 100 has remained stable over the three reports, currently sitting at 35 — a slight decline from 37 in 2024, but up slightly from 33 in 2023.
For the second year in a row, Danielle Keats Citron of the University of Virginia School of Law is the country’s top-cited legal scholar. An expert on privacy, free expression, and civil rights, Professor Citron has received 3,732 all-time citations, with 670 occurring between 2019 and 2021.
At the University of Virginia, Professor Citron currently serves as the Jefferson Scholars Foundation Schenck Distinguished Professor of Law, the Martha Lubin Karsh and Bruce A. Karsh Bicentennial Professor of Law, and the inaugural director of the LawTech Center. She received her juris doctorate from Fordham University in New York.