Norman Dorsen Professor of Civil Liberties Erin Murphy has become the latest member of the NYU Law community to join the Biden administration. On September 27, she began serving as senior policy advisor for criminal justice for the White House Domestic Policy Council.
In her new position, Murphy will coordinate and work closely with other White House components and executive branch agencies on issues including policing, drug policy, access to justice, and alternatives to incarceration, among others. “I’m of course incredibly honored and really excited,” Murphy says. “During this time of tremendous national engagement around criminal justice issues, it’s a wonderful opportunity to serve the President and the country working on issues that I’m passionate about, and that have driven my career, as both a public defender and as an academic. And when I return, it will be a great font of knowledge and experience that enriches my scholarship, teaching, and advising.”
After receiving a BA in comparative literature from Dartmouth College and a JD from Harvard Law School, Murphy clerked for Merrick Garland, then a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, and now US attorney general. As an academic, Murphy has focused her research on technology and forensic evidence in the criminal justice system. An internationally recognized expert in forensic DNA typing, she authored the book Inside the Cell, and her work has been cited multiple times by the US Supreme Court. Murphy served as the associate reporter for the American Law Institute's project to revise Article 213 of the Model Penal Code, which addresses sexual offenses.
Murphy’s appointment is for one year, during which she will be on leave from the Law School. She plans to return for the 2022-23 academic year.
Posted September 27, 2021