[4] He was a Ford Foundation post-doctoral fellow, and was a scholar-in-residence for the United States Commission on Civil Rights.
[6] Sawyer published many articles, conference papers, and several books on public law, American studies.
When he retired in 1990, the Maxwell school established The Michael O. Sawyer Chair of Constitutional Law and Politics in his honor.
[2] Some of the notable scholars to hold the chaired position are Stephen Macedo, Keith J. Bybee,[7] and Thomas M.
[9] Sawyer died at the age of 83 on December 24, 2002, in Liverpool, New York, due to complications from Alzheimer.