Robert Pugsley
Professor of Law Emeritus
B.A., Sociology, 1968, State University of New York, Stony Brook; J.D., 1975, LL.M., Criminal Justice, 1977 and Robert Marshall Fellow in Civil Liberties, 1976-78, New York University
Robert Pugsley has provided legal commentary on criminal law issues during numerous high profile trials through a vast array of media outlets. His opinion has been sought by CNN, Voice of America Radio, and national network and local television news, as well as numerous radio news programs nationwide. He has also appeared on international television and radio programs airing in Canada, England, Scandinavia, and other parts of Europe, and has been quoted often by the Associated Press,ABA Journal, Washington Post, New York Times, USA Today,Christian Science Monitor, Los Angeles Times, and Chicago Tribune, among many other major publications. Professor Pugsley has written articles on legal ethics, jurisprudence, and criminal law issues, and has spoken on those topics before many professional and community organizations.
"Criminal Law is current, always in the news, and provides for a more natural exchange in the classroom. The students' questions and observations are a constant source of intellectual stimulation and policy reform."
Professor Pugsley's career as a legal educator began at New York University where he was a Robert Marshall Fellow in Civil Liberties. There he served as acting deputy director of the Criminal Law Education and Research Center and as a lecturer for the Advanced Criminal Law and Policy Seminar.
In 1978, Professor Pugsley moved to the West Coast to join the faculty at Southwestern where he teaches a range of criminal law courses and served for several years as the director of Southwestern's Summer Law Program in Vancouver, British Columbia. He was also founding faculty advisor to the law school's Public Interest Law Committee and its fundraising activities, a position he held for over a decade. In 2000, Professor Pugsley was named as the Paul E. Treusch Professor of Law. He took Professor of Law Emeritus status in June 2016.
He enjoys teaching criminal law particularly because "it is current, always in the news, and provides for a more natural exchange in the classroom. The students' questions and observations are a constant source of intellectual stimulation and policy reform."
Selected Achievements
Faculty Advisor, Southwestern Criminal Law Society 2012-2014
Letters to the Editor on issues of criminal law and procedure, The New York Times