in chemistry from Princeton University in 1979 after completing a 74-page long senior thesis titled "Infrared Laser Induced Gas-Surface Interactions.

He was assisted with the development of the first edition of the casebook by then-University of Chicago Law School lecturer Barack Obama.

[citation needed] Pildes successfully argued a case from Alabama involving the unconstitutional use of race in redistricting before the United States Supreme Court.

He was part of the legal team that unsuccessfully argued against political gerrymandering in the 2009 case Rucho v. Common Cause.

He has written columns published in the Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New Republic, The American Prospect, The Hill, Politico, and other publications.