Paul Butler

Paul Delano Butler (born January 15, 1961) is an American lawyer, former prosecutor, and current law professor of Georgetown University Law Center. He is a leading criminal law scholar, particularly in the area of race and jury nullification.

Early life and education Butler was born in Chicago, Illinois, where he attended St. Ignatius College Preparatory School. He received his B.A. degree cum laude from Yale University and his J.D. degree from Harvard Law School.

Legal career Butler clerked for the Honorable Mary Johnson Lowe of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. While at the Department of Justice, Butler also served as a special assistant U.S. attorney, prosecuting drug and gun cases.

Academic career

Butler is currently the Albert Brick Professor in Law at the Georgetown University Law Center, where he teaches criminal law, criminal procedure, race relations law, and critical theory.

He was awarded the Distinguished Faculty Service Award three times by the Georgetown Law graduating class and has been a visiting professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. His second book, Chokehold: Policing Black Men, was published by The New Press in 2017.

Published works

Let's Get Free: A Hip-Hop Theory of Justice (The New Press, 2010)