Peter Joy

Peter Joy, the Henry Hitchcock Professor of Law and director of the Criminal Justice Clinic, has been elected one of 34 new members of the American Law Institute.

While Michael Cohen, one of President Donald Trump’s lawyers, may be permitted to keep silent in the civil case involving Stephanie Clifford, his silence may still be used against him, said Peter Joy, professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis.

The recent search of the office, home and hotel of Michael Cohen, lawyer to President Donald Trump, is a pivotal event when it comes to issues of attorney-client privilege and client confidentiality, says Peter Joy, professor at the School of Law and an expert on criminal law.

President Donald Trump’s lawyer claims that he personally sent $130,000 to porn star Stephanie Clifford, who states that she had an affair with Trump prior to his election. The lawyer, Michael Cohen, claims the payment was legal, but was it ethical? Washington University in St. Louis legal ethics expert Peter Joy weighs in.

United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions this week made it easier for federal marijuana laws to be enforced in states that had legalized its use, a move that may backfire, says a legal expert at Washington University in St. Louis.

Grand juries play a major role in the U.S. criminal justice system. Special Counsel Robert Mueller has called upon a federal grand jury to help him investigate Russia’s role in the 2016 election. It is a logical step in an investigation where there is some evidence that needs to be be gathered. The new grand jury widens the scope of the investigation, and it is likely focusing on others associated with the Trump campaign.

The trial of former Oklahoma City police officer Daniel Hotlzclaw, accused of 36 charges resulting from assaults against several black women while on duty, has begun. Though African Americans make up approximately 16 percent of the population of Oklahoma County, there are no black jurors among the eight men and four women serving. The jury selection process allowed for the controversial makeup, said Peter Joy, JD, a criminal justice expert at Washington University in St. Louis.

Given the importance that race and racial bias may play in certain cases, defense counsel has an obligation to determine when and how to discuss issues of race during jury selection in order to be effective, argues Peter Joy, JD, criminal justice expert in the School of Law.

Students in various disciplines throughout universities receive hands-on training through service-learning programs such as law school clinics. But that type of academic training is under attack from both big business and legislative bodies, say two professors from the Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. “Recent legislative and corporate efforts to interfere in the operations of law clinics indicate that academic freedom is at risk when hands-on student learning bumps up against ‘real-world’ disputes,” write Robert Kuehn, JD, and Peter Joy, JD, in “‘Kneecapping’ Academic Freedom,” the recent lead article for “The Conflicted University,” a special edition of Academe, the publication of the American Association of University Professors. 

Lack of “complete crime” hampered conviction chances in federal corruption trial of Rod Blagojevich, says WUSTL law professor Peter Joy.