Joshua Dressler

Joshua Dressler
CitizenshipAmerican
Education
Occupation
  • Author
Legal scholar, professor of law

Joshua Dressler is an American retired law professor. He is a Distinguished University Professor Emeritus at the Ohio State University. He has held academic positions at several U.S. law schools and is widely recognized for his scholarship, teaching, and contributions to legal education. His work has focused on areas such as criminal responsibility, sentencing, and moral theory, with particular attention to issues involving battered women and self-defense law.[1]

Early life and education

Dressler attended UCLA, earning his B.A. in 1968, and then earned his J.D. from the UCLA School of Law in 1973.[2][3]

Career

Dressler began his academic career at Hamline University School of Law. [4] where he served as an associate professor and later as professor of law. He subsequently joined Wayne State University Law School, where he served as professor of law and held the Career Development Chair. While at Wayne State, he was awarded the Donald H. Gordon Teaching Excellence Award (1990).[4]

Dressler then taught at the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law,[5] beginning his tenure at OSU in 2001.[6] He was also a visiting professor at various institutions across the United States, as well as internationally at the University of British Columbia and University of Auckland in New Zealand.[2] In 2005, he was named a Distinguished University Lecturer.[6] 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".[6]

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.[2] His research included the topic of battered women who kill their abusers.[7] 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, and the New York Times.[8][9][10][11][12]

In 1993, Dressler joined the McGeorge School of Law, where he later held the institution’s first Distinguished Professor and Scholar Chair. [13] During this period, he continued to develop his national reputation as a scholar in criminal law and criminal procedure and received the Eberhardt Teacher and Scholar Award (1995). His teaching and scholarship at McGeorge contributed to his growing recognition as a leading academic in his field.[14] Dressler is known for his extensive contributions to legal scholarship. He has authored or co-authored casebooks and treatises widely used in legal education, particularly in criminal law and criminal procedure. [15]

Awards and Recognition

Dressler has received numerous teaching and scholarly awards, including:

  • University Distinguished Scholar (2007) – Ohio State University [16]
  • University Distinguished Lecturer (2005) – Ohio State University [16]
  • Eberhardt Teacher and Scholar Award (1995) – McGeorge School of Law[14]
  • Donald H. Gordon Teaching Excellence Award (1990) – Wayne State University [14]
  • “Best Professor” Award (1981) – Hamline University [14]
  • Adjunct/Visiting Faculty Professor of the Year (2018) – University of Nevada, Las Vegas[14]

Published works

Books
  • Understanding Criminal Law (1987)[6][17]
  • Criminal Procedure: Principles, Policies, and Perspectives[3]
  • Cases and Materials on Criminal Law (1994)[6]
  • The Law of Criminal Investigations: A College Casebook (2019)[18]
  • Criminal Procedure: Investigating Crime (multiple editions)[19]
  • Criminal Procedure: Prosecuting Crime (multiple editions)[20]
  • Cases and Materials on Criminal Law (1994–2025; with Steven Garvey from 6th ed.) [21]
  • Understanding Criminal Procedure (1991–2021)[15]
  • Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice (Editor-in-Chief, 2002 revised edition) [22]
Articles
  • "Professor Delgado's 'Brainwashing' Defense: Courting a Determinist Legal System" (1979). in Minnesota Law Review. 1711.[23]
  • "Battered Women, Self-Defense, and the Law" (2011). in Fordham Law Review (with Holly Maguigan)[24]
  •  “Kahler v. Kansas: Ask the Wrong Question, Get the Wrong Answer” (Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law, 2020) [20]
  • “Reflections on the Warren Court’s Criminal Justice Legacy” (University of the Pacific Law Review, 2020)
  • “Miranda v. Arizona: Be Grateful for Small Favors” (Texas Tech Law Review, 2017)[20]
  •  “Rethinking Criminal Homicide Statutes” (Texas Tech Law Review, 2014) [20]
  • “Duress” in Handbook on the Philosophy of Criminal Law (2011) [20]
  • “Feminist Reform of Self-Defense Law” (Marquette Law Review, 2010) [20]
  • “Reforming Complicity Law” (Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law, 2008)
  • “The Model Penal Code: Like a Classic Movie in Need of a Remake?” (Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law, 2003) [20]
  •  “Why Keep the Provocation Defense?” (Minnesota Law Review, 2002)[25]
  •  “Hating Criminals: How Can Something that Feels So Good Be Wrong?” (Michigan Law Review, 1990)[26]

References

  1. ↑ "Joshua Dressler | Criminal Justice Research Center". cjrc.osu.edu. Retrieved 2026-05-29.
  2. 1 2 3 "Professor Joshua Dressler". American Law Institute. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  3. 1 2 "Joshua Dressler". Ohio State University. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  4. 1 2 "Joshua Dressler, B.A., J.D. | Moritz College of Law". Moritzlaw.osu.edu. Retrieved 2026-05-29.
  5. ↑ "Online Criminal Law Class Features Prominent Guests, Opens to Wider Audience". Fordham Now. Fordham University. March 9, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "2014 Distinguished University Professor". Ohio State University. 2014. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  7. ↑ Janos, Adam (June 4, 2024) [May 6, 2024]. "When Abuse Victims Strike Back—With Murder". A&E. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  8. ↑ Illing, Sean (June 8, 2017). "9 legal experts react to James Comey's testimony: Trump "crossed a line"". Vox. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  9. ↑ Illing, Sean (December 3, 2018). "Did Trump commit witness tampering by tweet? I asked 9 legal experts". Vox. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  10. ↑ Heffernan, Shannon (June 13, 2024). "The Laws That Make It Shockingly Easy for Survivors to Be Jailed for Their Abusers' Crimes". Mother Jones. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  11. ↑ Serota, Michael (October 27, 2020). "How Criminal Law Lost Its Mind". Boston Review. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  12. ↑ Robbins, Liz (December 4, 2009). "Sex Offender in Ohio Offers Insanity Plea in 11 Deaths". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 29, 2018.
  13. ↑ Vitiello, Michael (2018-01-01). "Joshua Dressler and "The Incident" – More Evidence of Liberal Bias?". Ohio State Cr. L. J. 15 (2): 305.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5
  15. 1 2 "UNDERSTANDING CRIMINAL LAW : SEVENTH EDITION" (PDF). Cap-press.com. Retrieved August 1, 2026.
  16. 1 2 "Awards to Members". Proceedings and Addresses of the American Philosophical Association. 81 (5): 165–167. 2008. ISSN 0065-972X. JSTOR 27654038.
  17. ↑ "Professor Emeritus Joshua Dressler's book, "Understanding Criminal Law," named top-7 essential book to read before law school by Business Matters Magazine". Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. March 3, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Mizrahi, Dressler, and Thomas's The Law of Criminal Investigations: A College Casebook - 9781683288992 - West Academic". faculty.westacademic.com. Retrieved 2026-05-29.
  19. ↑ "Dressler, Thomas, and Medwed's Criminal Procedure: Investigating Crime, 8th - 9781647087739 - West Academic". faculty.westacademic.com. Retrieved 2026-05-29.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Dressler, Thomas, and Medwed's Criminal Procedure: Prosecuting Crime, 8th - 9781647087746 - West Academic". faculty.westacademic.com. Retrieved 2026-05-29.
  21. ↑ Dressler, Joshua (1994). Cases and Materials on Criminal Law. West Pub. ISBN 978-0-314-03791-6.
  22. ↑ Encyclopedia of crime and justice. Internet Archive. New York : Free Press. 1983. ISBN 978-0-02-918110-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  23. ↑ Dressler, Joshua (1979). "Professor Delgado's Brainwashing Defense: Courting a Determinist Legal System". Minnesota Law Review. 63 (2): 335–360. doi:10.24926/265535.2611. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  24. ↑ "Battered Women, Self-Defense, and the Law". Fordham Law Review. 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  25. ↑ Joshua Dressler (2021). "Why Keep the Provocation Defense: Some Reflections on a Difficult Subject" (PDF). Minnesota Law Review. 1-106:1. Retrieved August 1, 2026.
  26. ↑ Dressler, Joshua (1990-05-01). "Hating Criminals: How Can Something That Feels So Good Be Wrong?". Michigan Law Review. 88 (6): 1448–1473. doi:10.2307/1289323. ISSN 0026-2234. JSTOR 1289323.
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