Cornell University law professor Joseph Margulies discusses the problem of states executing death row inmates under laws subsequently found to be unconstitutional, as has happened in Texas and in Florida, and likely in many other cases. Margulies laments that the United States continues to experiment with capital punishment when experience demonstrates the procedures for imposing this irreversible sentence are rife with problems.

Cornell University law professor Joseph Margulies explains how the peaceful protesters at a federal facility in Oregon could advance the cause for criminal justice reform. Margulies reminds us that that the triggering event for the protest was an order by a federal judge that two ranchers serve a prison sentence mandated by federal statute that was far longer than the judge considered fair.

Cornell University law professor Joseph Margulies observes that despite growing recognition of the need for comprehensive reform of the American criminal justice system, there are little to no policy changes on the horizon that could even potentially effect such comprehensive reform.

Cornell University law professor Joseph Margulies calls on us to reflect on the intensifying attacks in the United States against Islam and against the Black Lives Matter movement. Margulies argues that the attacks derive from a common source and that much can be learned from examining them together.

Cornell University law professor Joseph Margulies considers what it means to represent someone who is widely reviled—such as an alleged terrorist.

Cornell University law professor Joseph Margulies describes one of the bedrock principles of a legitimate criminal justice system: the obligation of government to be fair and even handed. Margulies describes several examples of how governments have fallen short in this respect and argues that without even-handed justice, there cannot be a truly legitimate criminal justice system.

Cornell University law professor Joseph Margulies continues his discussion of the role of dignity as a condition of a legitimate criminal justice system. Margulies argues that it is dignity that saves us from the conceit that we may decide who gets to be human, but he laments that many people are not yet ready to give up that conceit.

Cornell law professor Joseph Margulies discusses the inviolable right of human dignity and its essential role as a condition of criminal justice.

Cornell University law professor Joseph Margulies offers an overview of our current criminal justice system and proposes a philosophy essential for the implementation of its imperative transformation, improvement, and legitimacy.

Cornell University law professor Joseph Margulies describes the latest challenge to criminal justice reform as the demonization of the #BlackLivesMatter movement.

Cornell University law professor Joseph Margulies reflects on his recent time spent shadowing the Cincinnati Police Department, describing its efforts to reform the relationship between the police and the community.

Cornell University law professor Joseph Margulies continues his discussion of the conditions under which Tariq Ba Odah are being held at Guantanamo despite unanimous agreement by national security agencies that he is not a threat.

Cornell University law professor Joseph Margulies laments the discourse currently surrounding the presidential candidates, particularly Donald Trump, and argues that we should be more focused on the candidates’ answers to important questions about inequality, the criminal justice system, climate change, and global insecurity.

Cornell University law professor Joseph Margulies describes the abysmal conditions under which Tariq Ba Odah is suffering at Guantanamo, despite being cleared by every national security agency.

Amid nationwide discussions about removing the Confederate battle flag from public display, Cornell University law professor Joseph Margulies comments on the role of symbols and the American criminal justice system.

Cornell University law professor Joseph Margulies argues against the idea of a nationwide crime wave and warns of its dangers.

Cornell law professor Joseph Margulies describes how meaningful police reform requires starting at the top and treating the bottom as a social, rather than criminal, problem.

Cornell University law professor Joseph Margulies argues that the goal of meaningful criminal justice reform should be to hold the offender accountable, repair the community, and make the victim whole.

Cornell University visiting law professor Joseph Margulies discusses the tense situation between the police and the community in Baltimore and argues that meaningful reform is on the horizon.

Cornell University visiting law professor Joseph Margulies comments on the recent death of Walter Scott, an unarmed black man whose murder by a police officer was caught on video and seen by the world. Margulies argues that Scott’s murder, while highly unusual and anomalous in some ways, also exemplifies the relationship between law enforcement and black citizens.