Kermit Lance Hall was born on August 31, 1944 in Akron, Ohio. Hall served in the Vietnam War from 1967-1969 and then earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Akron, a master's degree from Syracuse University in 1967, and a Ph.D from the University of Minnesota in 1972. Hall also recieved a MSL from Yale Law School in 1980. He was a recognized scholar and expert on legal history and the Supreme Court and wrote extensively on the development of federal and state courts. In 1979, as a scholar at Wayne State University, Hall published his first book, The Politics of Justice: Lower Federal Judicial Selection and the Second Party System, 1829-61.

On December 29, 2004, Hall was named the 17th president of the University at Albany, State University of New York. Prior to his appointment at Albany, Hall held academic and administrative positions at Vanderbilt University (1972-1976), University of Florida (1981-1992), University of Tulsa (1992-1994), before landing at Ohio State University in 1994 as Dean of the College of Humanities from 1994-1999, and as Executive Dean and a professor of History and Law of the College of Arts and Sciences (1996-99). From 1999-2001 he was the Provost and Vice President for academic affairs and a professor of History at North Carolina State University before becoming President and professor of History at Utah State University until 2005.

Hall was also known for his various publications about the American law and the judicial branch. His works granted him various awards including grants from the National Endowment for Humanities, the American Bar Association, and the James Madison Award from the American Library Association. While he worked on many long term publications concerning the Supreme Court and legal history, a significant amount of his research was dedicated to The New York Times v Sullivan, a case that originated in Alabama and concerned libel and freedom of the press. Beyond the First Amendment implications, Hall's research and writings on this case explored the racial tensions and civil rights coverage in Alabama that was intertwined with the court's proceedings at the time.

In 1992, President Bill Clinton appointed Hall to the five member Assassination Records Review Board to review and approve the release of public documents related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Hall served as board member for numerous organizations relating to higher education, including the American Council on Eduction, the National Association of State University and Land Grant Colleges, the International Student Exchange Program, the NCAA Presidential Task Force on the Future of Intercollegiate Athletics, and the Research Foundation of the State University of New York. He was formerly a member of the board of the Research Triangle Institute, one of the nation's most succesful private research enterprises. Hall held fellowships and grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Science Foundation, the American Council of Learned Societies, the American Bar Foundation, and the Fulbright Education Foundation.

Hall died on August 13, 2006 in South Carolina and was survived by his wife Phyllis.