Deans, Faculty & Staff
College of Law faculty are committed teachers, distinguished scholars, and experienced lawyers. Most practiced law before their academic careers and some still practice in their particular areas of interest. All faculty members engage in scholarly research and publication to remain current in and contribute to the theory and practice of law. They are strongly committed to blending legal theory with skills training.
Furthering the college’s interdisciplinary vision, a number of professors possess other graduate degrees and teach courses that combine law with such fields as public administration, finance, health care, social psychology, and economics. The faculty—wide-ranging in backgrounds as well as scholarship interests—creates a multi-faceted law school experience rich in opportunity.
Cold Case Justice Initiative provides documents leading to identification of key suspect in 1964 racially motivated killing
The Cold Case Justice Initiative (CCJI) at Syracuse University College of Law can now identify a new suspect in the 1964 racially motivated killing of Frank Morris in Ferriday, La. Arthur Leonard Spencer has been named in an article written by investigative reporter Stanley Nelson, who writes for the Concordia Sentinel, Ferriday’s local newspaper. In an interview with Nelson, family members revealed that Spencer, a Rayville, La., resident, admitted that he participated with O.C. Poissot, now deceased, and others in the Dec. 10 Klan-sponsored arson that killed Morris in 1964. In addition, The New York Times reported on the discovery of new documents by SU’s Cold Case Justice Initiative and the SU Law students, which helped create a new lead for an unsolved, racially motivated murder case of 1964.
Law professors Paula C. Johnson and Janis L. McDonald, co-directors of the CCJI, met with local and federal prosecutors and advocated for justice in this case on behalf of the family. The work of CCJI law students proved critical in this investigation by locating and identifying thousands of unredacted documents from 1967 related to the case. CCJI provided these vital documents to the Concordia Sentinel and to local and federal law enforcement agencies. “The CCJI is pleased that our research provided the critical foundation for Nelson, leading to the developments reported today,” says Johnson.
