Deborah Pearlstein

Deborah Pearlstein joined the Cardozo faculty in 2011 following her tenure at Princeton’s Law and Public Affairs Program at the Woodrow Wilson School and visiting appointments at UPenn Law School and Georgetown Law Center. Her research focuses on national security law and the separation of powers, and her work has appeared widely in law journals and the popular press. A leading national voice on law and counterterrorism, Pearlstein has repeatedly testified before Congress and, in 2009, was appointed to the ABA’s Advisory Committee on Law and National Security. From 2003–2007, she served as the founding director of the Law and Security Program at Human Rights First. Before embarking on a career in law, Pearlstein served in the White House as a senior editor and speechwriter for President Clinton. A magna laude graduate of Harvard Law, she clerked for Judge Michael Boudin of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and Justice John Paul Stevens of the U.S. Supreme Court.