Joshua Dressler is an American retired law professor. He is a Distinguished University Professor Emeritus at the

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

Early life and education

Dressler attended

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

, earning his B.A. in 1968, and then earned his J.D. from the

UCLA School of Law The University of California, Los Angeles School of Law (commonly known as UCLA School of Law or UCLA Law) is the law school of the University of California, Los Angeles. History Founded in 1949, the UCLA School of Law is the third oldest of t ...

in 1973.

Career

An expert in criminal law and criminal procedure, he has authored various casebooks and texts used in American law schools. He taught at

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...

and

Hamline University Hamline University ( ) is a private university in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1854, Hamline is the oldest university in Minnesota, the first coeducational university in the state, and is one of five Associated Colleges of th ...

, before joining the faculty of University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, where he held the first Distinguished Professor and Scholar Chair. Dressler then taught at the

Ohio State University Moritz College of Law The Michael E. Moritz College of Law is the Law school in the United States, law school of Ohio State University, a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. Founded in 1891, the school is ...

, beginning his tenure at OSU in 2001. He was also a visiting professor at various institutions across the United States, as well as internationally at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

and

University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...

in New Zealand. In 2005, he was named a Distinguished University Lecturer. In a 2014 article about his nomination for Distinguished University Professor Emeritus, the university wrote that Dressler "is, without exaggeration and by nearly any accepted standard, the country's leading academic authority in the field of criminal law — and among the leaders in criminal procedure". Dressler is the editor-in-chief of the ''Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice'' and is credited for helping create the ''Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law''; he serves as the co-editor of the latter. His research included the topic of battered women who kill their abusers. On articles regarding legal matters, Dressler's expertise in criminal law has been cited by various media outlets including '' Vox'', '' Mother Jones'', the ''

Boston Review ''Boston Review'' is an American quarterly political and literary magazine. It publishes political, social, and historical analysis, literary and cultural criticism, book reviews, fiction, and poetry, both online and in print. Its signature form ...

'', and the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''.

Published works

;Books *''Understanding Criminal Law'' (1987) *''Criminal Procedure: Principles, Policies, and Perspectives'' *''Cases and Materials on Criminal Law'' (1994) ;Articles *"Professor Delgado's 'Brainwashing' Defense: Courting a Determinist Legal System" (1979). in ''

Minnesota Law Review The ''Minnesota Law Review'' is a student-run law review published by students at University of Minnesota Law School. The journal is published six times a year in November, December, February, April, May, and June. It was established by Henry J. F ...

''. 1711. *"Battered Women, Self-Defense, and the Law" (2011). in ''

Fordham Law Review The ''Fordham Law Review'' is a student-run law review, law journal associated with the Fordham University School of Law that covers a wide range of legal scholarship. Overview In 2017, the ''Fordham Law Review'' was the seventh-most cited law ...

'' (with Holly Maguigan)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dressler, Joshua 20th-century American academics 21st-century scholars Hamline University faculty Living people Members of the American Law Institute Moritz College of Law faculty Scholars of criminal law UCLA School of Law alumni University of California, Los Angeles alumni University of the Pacific (United States) faculty Wayne State University faculty Year of birth missing (living people)