Alan Dershowitz

Professor Alan M. Dershowitz is Brooklyn native who has been called "the nation's most peripatetic civil liberties lawyer" and one of its "most distinguished defenders of individual rights," "the best-known criminal lawyer in the world," "the top lawyer of last resort," "America's most public Jewish defender" and "Israel's single most visible defender - the Jewish state's lead attorney in the court of public opinion." He is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. Dershowitz, a graduate of Brooklyn College and Yale Law School, joined the Harvard Law School faculty at age 25 after clerking for Judge David Bazelon and Justice Arthur Goldberg. He has also published more than 100 articles in magazines and journals such as The New York Times Magazine, The Washington Post. The Wall Street Journal, The New Republic, The Nation, Commentary, Saturday Review, The Harvard Law Review and the Yale Law Journal, and more than 300 of his articles have appeared in syndication in 50 national daily newspapers. Professor Dershowitz is the author of 27 fiction and non-fiction works with a worldwide audience. His most recent titles include "an exceptional, action packed book," The Trials of Zion, a novel which has been called "a thought-provoking page turner," Rights From Wrong, The Case For Israel, The Case For Peace, Blasphemy: How the Religious Right is Hijacking the Declaration of Independence and Preemption: A Knife that Cuts Both Ways, Finding Jefferson - A Lost Letter, A Remarkable Discovery, Shouting Fire and The First Amendment In An Age of Terrorism. In addition to his numerous law review articles and books about criminal and constitutional law, he has written, taught and lectured about history, philosophy, psychology, literature, mathematics, theology, music, sports - and even delicatessens. In 1983, the Anti-Defamation League of the B'nai B'rith presented him with the William O. Douglas First Amendment Award for his "compassionate eloquent leadership and persistent advocacy in the struggle for civil and human rights." In presenting the award, Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel said: "If there had been a few people like Alan Dershowitz during the 1930s and 1940s, the history of European Jewry might have been different." Professor Dershowitz has been awarded the honorary doctor of laws degree by Yeshiva University, the Hebrew Union College, Brooklyn College, Syracuse University, Tel Aviv University, New York City College and Haifa University.

ARTICLES BY: Alan Dershowitz

January 23, 2015 2:00 pm

7

The Case Against the International Criminal Court Investigating Israel

In 2012 my friend and colleague Luis Moreno Ocampo, who was then the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, ruled correctly that "Palestine could...

January 12, 2015 6:03 pm

11

Brandeis University: Both Pro-Israel and Pro Free Speech

Brandeis University, like many other academic institutions, is experiencing a wave of vicious, irrational and extremist hatred of Israel, the nation state of the Jewish...

December 26, 2014 12:24 pm

8

Hard Leftists Are as Guilty of Censorship as North Korea’s Dictator

Nobody should be surprised that the dictatorial ruler of North Korea would want to censor a film that offended him, or even that he would...

December 18, 2014 5:13 pm

43

Harvard’s President Stops an Anti-Israel Boycott

The Harvard University Dining Service has been rebuffed in its efforts to join the Boycott Movement against Israel. A group of radical anti-Israel Harvard students...

November 14, 2014 11:14 am

3

Will the Newly Elected Congress Push Obama Into Being Tougher on Iran’s Nuclear Weapons Program?

Now that both Houses of Congress are under the control of Republicans, will President Obama have as free a hand in making a deal with...

November 10, 2014 12:40 pm

34

Dershowitz: Amnesty International Has Become an Apologist for Terrorism and Enemy of Democracy

Last month the Columbia chapter of Amnesty International invited me to deliver a talk on human rights in the Middle East. I accepted the invitation,...

November 3, 2014 9:41 pm

58

Why is the Obama Administration Provoking Israel?

A senior Obama administration official recently went on the record with journalist Jeffrey Goldberg in calling Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "chickenshit." A second...

October 31, 2014 10:24 am

31

A Challenge to Ed Miliband: Would You Protect Great Britain Against Terrorism?

Ed Miliband, who is the leader of Great Britain's Labour Party, wants to become prime minister following the next general election. But recent statements he...

October 21, 2014 1:37 pm

51

Metropolitan Opera Stifles Free Exchange of Ideas About a Propaganda Opera

On Monday night I went to the Metropolitan Opera. I went for two reasons: to see and hear John Adams' controversial opera, The Death of...

September 24, 2014 4:12 pm

10

The Right to Protest the Metropolitan Opera Decision to Put on ‘The Death of Klinghoffer’

On Monday night I stood in front of the Metropolitan Opera listening to hundreds of Jewish and non-Jewish protesters who were aggrieved by the decision...

September 23, 2014 4:58 pm

9

United States Attack in Syria Parallels Israel’s in Gaza

The air attack by American and Arab forces against ISIS and other terrorist targets parallels Israel's air attacks against Hamas terrorist targets in Gaza. According...

September 16, 2014 5:10 pm

25

The National Lawyers Guild Seeks to Indict Obama for Helping Israel Build Iron Dome

The National Lawyers Guild—a hard left assortment of radical lawyers and "legal workers"—is seeking to have President Obama, Secretary of Defense Hagel and members of...

August 20, 2014 6:32 pm

38

Why Does President Obama Condemn ISIS But Ask Israel to Accept Hamas in Unity Government?

President Barack Obama has rightfully condemned the ISIS beheading of American James Foley in the strongest terms.  This is what he said: "There has to be...

August 19, 2014 8:52 pm

19

Was Israel Justified in Going After Hamas Terrorist Tunnels? The Key Question for Any Legal Proceeding

The key question—both legally and morally—in evaluating Israel's recent military actions is whether the Israeli government was justified in ordering ground troops into Gaza to...