Stephen B. Bright

Stephen B. Bright is a Harvey L. Karp Visiting Lecturer in Law at Yale Law School and a Visiting Associate Professor at Georgetown University Law Center. His career spans over four decades in criminal justice advocacy, including directing the Southern Center for Human Rights (1982–2016). He specializes in capital punishment, racial discrimination in courts, and indigent defense representation.

Education: J.D., University of Kentucky College of Law (1974); B.A., University of Kentucky (1971).

Research focuses on systemic inequality in criminal courts, particularly racial bias in jury selection and resource disparities for indigent defendants. He has challenged death penalty cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, securing landmark rulings on racial discrimination and inadequate legal funding.

Publications include The Fear of Too Much Justice (2023) and co-authored works analyzing judicial independence and prison conditions. His advocacy earned the Thurgood Marshall Award (1998), Agitator of the Year (2003), and Lawyer of the Year (2017).

Notable cases include Foster v. Chatman (2016), where the Supreme Court ruled racial discrimination occurred in jury selection. He has also pioneered public defender systems in Georgia and critiqued prison conditions nationwide.