Jonathan Turley

Professor Jonathan Turley is a nationally recognized legal scholar who has written extensively in areas ranging from constitutional law to legal theory to tort law. He has authored over three dozen academic articles that have appeared in leading law journals at institutions such as Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, and the University of Chicago.

After a stint at Tulane Law School, Turley joined the George Washington University Law School faculty in 1990. In 1998, he was appointed to the prestigious Shapiro Chair for Public Interest Law, becoming the youngest chaired professor in the school's history. In addition to his extensive publications, Turley has served as counsel in numerous high-profile cases involving whistleblowers, military personnel, judges, members of Congress, and other significant clients. He is one of the few attorneys to have successfully challenged both federal and state laws, leading to courts striking down the federal Elizabeth Morgan law as well as the state criminalization of cohabitation.

Turley represented Judge G. Thomas Porteous in his impeachment trial in 2010. Following a trial before the Senate, Turley argued both the motions and delivered the final argument to all 100 U.S. Senators from the well of the Senate floor—only the 14th time in U.S. history that such a trial of a judge has reached the Senate floor. Judge Porteous was convicted on four articles of impeachment, including the acceptance of $2000 from an attorney and using a false name on a bankruptcy filing.

His other notable legal battles include representing the Area 51 workers at a secret air base in Nevada; the nuclear couriers at Oak Ridge, Tennessee; the Rocky Flats grand jury in Colorado; and Dr. Eric Foretich, the husband in the Elizabeth Morgan custody controversy. Recently, Turley reversed a trial court and struck down a federal statute through a rare “bill of attainder” challenge in the Foretich case. He has also served as counsel in various national security cases, including espionage cases like that of Jim Nicholson, the highest-ranking CIA officer ever accused of espionage.

Turley frequently speaks on topics such as the reform and expansion of the Supreme Court, the evolution of free speech, and the role of morality legislation. He has testified before both the House and Senate on constitutional and statutory issues, including the confirmation hearings of Attorney General nominees Loretta Lynch and William Barr as well as Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch.

His articles on legal and policy issues appear regularly in national publications such as the New York Times and Washington Post. Turley's award-winning blog is one of the most popular legal blogs and was inducted into the ABA Journal's Hall of Fame in 2013.

Turley received his B.A. from the University of Chicago and his J.D. from Northwestern University. In 2008, he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Law from John Marshall Law School for his contributions to civil liberties and the public interest.