Professor Tom I. Romero II, J.D., Ph.D., is a legal historian and interdisciplinary scholar whose work explores the intersections of law, race, and inequality -- particularly in the American West. He brings his nationally recognized expertise in legal history, water law, environmental and natural resources law, property law, and race and the law.

Prior to joining Boyd Law, Professor Romero served as a Professor of Law and affiliated faculty in History at the University of Denver, where he also directed the Interdisciplinary Research Institute for the Study of (In)Equality (IRISE). He held multiple leadership roles at DU, including Interim Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Associate Provost for Inclusive Excellence Research.

Professor Romero’s scholarship examines the legal structures of racial inequality in areas ranging from school desegregation and immigration to land use and water governance. His recent work focuses on racial inequities in water policy and participatory research on access to water rights in Latinx and other underserved communities. He is currently completing a book on multiracial law and politics in post–World War II Denver and is starting a comparative project on water rights, settler-colonialism, migration, and urban growth in Western Australia and the arid American West. 

Born and raised in Denver, Professor Romero earned his B.A. in History and Public Affairs from the University of Denver and his M.A., J.D. (cum laude), and Ph.D. in History from the University of Michigan. He previously taught at Hamline University and served as a Western Legal Studies Fellow at the University of Colorado Boulder.

He serves on numerous advisory boards, including the Colorado Water Trust, Lost Highways (a podcast from History Colorado), and the Black Coloradoan Racial Equity Study Commission. Professor Romero is a sought-after speaker and commentator on the legal history of the American West and the evolving relationship between race, law, and the environment.