Media appearances & op-eds
Why Law?
Law is not the only way to try and control behavior. Psychological manipulation, brute force, and managerial direction are other alternatives. The complaints about law and lawyers are familiar. If you engage in legal processes, they can be slow, inefficient, complicated to navigate, expensive; and, in their process or in their outcomes, unjust. In the face of these complaints and the fact that we have alternatives to governance by law, why should rule by law shape some of the standards by which we evaluate the legitimacy of governments?
Transitional justice theory
The impetus to look forward is an American mode of dealing with ugly truths. It’s part of the optimism of America. But we won’t be able to move forward if we don’t deal with the past in the present. On this episode of the Civil Squared podcast, host Jennifer Thompson is joined by Dr. Colleen Murphy to discuss the topic of transitional justice theory. She discusses how transitional justice theory is the process of dealing with widespread wrongdoing and shares several of the key steps of the theory. The conversation includes background on how transitional justice theory is a practice that has grown outside of the United States in places like Bosnia and Herzegovina and South Africa but presents many opportunities for America to learn from and apply the theory in order for us to move forward on issues of racism and slavery.
How Nations Heal
In his first speech as president-elect, Joe Biden emphasized the need for national unity and healing. Kamala Harris echoed that sentiment in a tweet November 13: “Now the hard work, the necessary work, the good work begins,” she wrote: “to unite our country and heal the soul of our nation.” Yet evidence of the depth of existing divisions has only increased since Election Day, culminating in the violence at the Capitol we witnessed earlier this month. In the face of this democratic crisis, what exactly—if anything—will enable Americans to unite and heal?
Lon Fuller & The Morality of Law
This conversation is part of the ‘Philosophy of Law’ Series (‘Dare to know!’ Philosophy Podcast). Today we are joined by Colleen Murphy. Colleen Murphy is a Professor in the College of Law with courtesy appointments in the Departments of Philosophy and Political Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she is also Director of the Women and Gender in Global Perspectives Program. She is the author of The Conceptual Foundations of Transitional Justice (Cambridge University Press, 2017), which received the North American Society for Social Philosophy Book Award; A Moral Theory of Political Reconciliation (Cambridge University Press, 2010); as well as more than 50 articles and book chapters. Today, we will discuss the work of Lon Fuller and his book ‘The morality of Law’.
Transitional Justice
The Case for Reparations; A conversation with Professor Colleen Murphy (2)
We continue our discussion of transitional justice with Colleen Murphy, comparing the end of apartheid in South Africa with the civil rights movement in the US. From this contrast, we explore the idea of reparations for lynching and redlining in the form of truth and reconciliation commissions and financial payments.
Transitional justice; A conversation with Professor Colleen Murphy
In this episode professor Colleen Murphy discusses justice in countries attempting to transition to democracy following conflict or repression. Professor Murphy argues that the demands of transitional justice are distinct from other forms of justice such as retributive, corrective, or distributive.
The best books on Transitional Justice recommended by Colleen Murphy
When a period of war or oppression draws to a close, how should a country face up to past wrongdoing while creating a future free of conflict? Colleen Murphy—professor of law, philosophy and political science at the University of Illinois—discusses five books that examine the issues at the heart of ‘transitional justice.’
The Conceptual Foundations of Transitional Justice
Colleen Murphy’s new book, The Conceptual Foundations of Transitional Justice (Cambridge University Press, 2017), argues that attaining some degree of justice is possible in nations transitioning to democratic states.
Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction for Peace
