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Just Say No to “Catholic Public” School
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Another “Death Penalty” Awaits Inmates Who Were Spared Execution by Joe Biden
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Anthony Ghiotto
Anthony Ghiotto

Tony Ghiotto is a Teaching Professor of Law at University of Illinois College of Law, as well as a trial advocacy expert and served as an active duty Air Force judge advocate for twelve years before entering academia. He is the director of the Kimball R. and Karen Gatsis Anderson Center for Advocacy and Professionalism, where he trains future lawyers in trial advocacy, appellate work, negotiations, and professional ethics. A dedicated educator, he also coaches award-winning trial and moot court teams.

Before joining academia, Professor Ghiotto spent nearly 12 years as a judge advocate in the U.S. Air Force, handling complex felony prosecutions, advising military leadership, and serving in Afghanistan for detainee proceedings. He continues to serve as a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force Reserves.

His scholarship explores criminal procedure and national security law, with publications in the *Harvard National Security Journal* and other law reviews. A Chicago-area native, he earned his J.D. from Emory University School of Law.

Columns by Anthony Ghiotto
Permalink to The Transgender Military Ban: Part II: Collateral Consequences for Mental Health Access and Lessons for Future LitigantsThe Transgender Military Ban: Part II: Collateral Consequences for Mental Health Access and Lessons for Future Litigants
The Transgender Military Ban: Part II: Collateral Consequences for Mental Health Access and Lessons for Future Litigants
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In this second of a two-part series, Illinois Law professors Lesley M. Wexler and Anthony Ghiotto examine the broader implications of the Trump administration’s attempt to ban transgender individuals from military service, focusing on the chilling effects on service members’ mental health care and how recent litigation (specifically Talbott and Shilling) may shape future legal challenges to executive control over the military. Professors Wexler and Ghiotto argue that the administration's policy undermines trust in mental health confidentiality and threatens military readiness, while also suggesting that recent court decisions could provide a legal framework for challenging discriminatory or overreaching uses of military power in the future.

Permalink to The Transgender Military Ban: Part I: District Court Rejection of Deference and Secretary of Defense Hegseth’s Rejection of Judge ReyesThe Transgender Military Ban: Part I: District Court Rejection of Deference and Secretary of Defense Hegseth’s Rejection of Judge Reyes
The Transgender Military Ban: Part I: District Court Rejection of Deference and Secretary of Defense Hegseth’s Rejection of Judge Reyes
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Illinois Law professors Lesley M. Wexler and Anthony Ghiotto examine recent judicial rulings halting the enforcement of a Trump administration executive order banning transgender individuals from military service, focusing on the Department of Defense’s justification efforts and the constitutional Equal Protection challenges in Talbott v. Trump and Shilling v. United States. Professors Wexler and Ghiotto argue that the administration failed to provide evidence-based, reasoned justifications necessary for judicial deference, highlighting a broader pattern of executive overreach and attempts to discredit the judiciary rather than engage in the fact-based policy-making required to lawfully exclude transgender service members.

Permalink to Do Ask, Do Exit or Mask: Transgender Service Members, the DOD Guidance on the Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness Executive Order, and Why It Should Matter to Us AllDo Ask, Do Exit or Mask: Transgender Service Members, the DOD Guidance on the Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness Executive Order, and Why It Should Matter to Us All
Do Ask, Do Exit or Mask: Transgender Service Members, the DOD Guidance on the Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness Executive Order, and Why It Should Matter to Us All
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Illinois Law professors Lesley M. Wexler and Anthony Ghiotto analyze the impact of the Prioritizing Military Excellence Order, which restricts transgender military service, comparing it to past policies like “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and detailing the order’s effects on transgender service members, military law, national security, and unit cohesion. Professors Wexler and Ghiotto argue that the policy forces transgender troops to either leave service or suppress their identity, ultimately harming military readiness, morale, and legal integrity, and they advocate for legal challenges, state-level protections, and continued resistance to discriminatory policies.

Permalink to Let’s Kill All the Lawyers: The Friday Night Massacre of Judge Advocates GeneralLet’s Kill All the Lawyers: The Friday Night Massacre of Judge Advocates General
Let’s Kill All the Lawyers: The Friday Night Massacre of Judge Advocates General
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Illinois Law professors Lesley M. Wexler and Anthony Ghiotto discuss the unprecedented removal of top military legal advisors (TJAGs) by the Trump administration and its potential consequences for military legal independence, the rule of law, and democratic governance. Professors Wexler and Ghiotto argue that these firings undermine the TJAGs’ role as independent legal advisors, threaten adherence to military justice and international law, and could either facilitate unlawful actions or create a chilling effect on military lawyers, potentially threatening democracy and national defense.