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 legal history. He has dozens of academic articles in leading law journals at Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Northwestern, University of Chicago, and other schools.

He is the author of the best-selling and award-winning book, "The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage." He is also the author of a forthcoming book on the meaning and history of democracy: "Rage and The Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution."

After a stint at Tulane Law School, Professor Turley joined the George Washington faculty in 1990 and, in 1998, was given the prestigious Shapiro Chair for Public Interest Law, the youngest chaired professor in the university’s history.

Professor Turley has served as counsel in some of the most notable cases in the last three decades, including the representation of whistleblowers, military personnel, former cabinet members, judges, members of Congress, and journalists. Turley served as lead counsel to the U.S House of Representatives in litigation. His diverse past clients range from four former attorneys general to the cast of the reality show Sisters Wives to the workers at Area 51.

Professor Turley has testified over 100 times before Congress, including the Senate confirmation hearings of cabinet members and jurists like Justice Neil Gorsuch. He appeared as an expert witness in both the impeachment hearings of President Bill Clinton and Donald Trump as well the hearing on the basis for a Biden impeachment.

In 2024, the Washingtonian featured Professor Turley as one of the most influential persons on public policy. He was ranked 38th in the top 100 most cited “public intellectuals” (and second most cited law professor) in the study by Judge Richard Posner. He also has been ranked among the world’s top lawyers and legal experts in various studies, including one of the 100 best-known law professors in history.

Called the “dean of legal analysts” by the Washington Post, Turley has worked as a legal analyst for NBC, CBS, BBC, and he is currently legal analyst for Fox News. His columns have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal and other national papers. His award-winning blog is ranked among the most popular legal blogs and, in 2013, was inducted into the ABA Journal’s Hall of Fame.

Professor Turley received his B.A. at the University of Chicago and his J.D. at Northwestern. He also holds an honorary Doctorate of Law from John Marshall Law School for his contributions to civil liberties and the public interest.