He is a law professor at George Mason University, B. Kenneth Simon Chair in Constitutional Studies at the Cato Institute, a blogger for the Volokh Conspiracy, and a former co-editor of the Supreme Court Economic Review (2006–2013).

In a personal memoir, Somin recounted both the material poverty in the USSR (that he experienced firsthand) and the ideological indoctrination (that he learned about from family members, and saw glimpses of as a child).

Like other public choice theorists, Somin argues that rational ignorance is a major problem for the successful functioning of democracy.

[18] Somin's work on political ignorance has been covered by media around the world, including Washington Post columnist George Will[15] and the Chicago Tribune.

[30][31] Somin has argued that Detroit's abuse of eminent domain "deter[red] investment by undermining confidence in the security of property rights.

The book was described as the definitive analysis and critique of Kelo by leading legal scholars Richard Epstein and James Krier, and also endorsed by attorneys for both sides in the case.

[34] Ilya Somin's latest book is Free to Move: Foot Voting, Migration, and Political Freedom[35] (Oxford University Press, 2020).

Somin is the author of Democracy and Political Ignorance: Why Smaller Government Is Smarter,[36] published by Stanford University Press) in 2013.

Somin's blog post[52][53] about the Supreme Court decision in Fisher v. University of Texas was cited by a number of news outlets.