Claire Finkelstein

Claire Finkelstein is the Algernon Biddle Professor of Law and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania. She is the founder and faculty director of the Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law (CERL), a nonpartisan institute affiliated with the University's Annenberg Public Policy Center. She also holds positions as a distinguished research fellow at APPC and senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI). Her expertise spans national security law, democratic governance, professional ethics, and the law of armed conflict.

Finkelstein’s research focuses on ethical and legal dimensions of national security, including targeted killings, cybersecurity, and Guantanamo Bay policies. She co-edits the Oxford Series in Ethics, National Security, and the Rule of Law, publishing volumes such as Targeted Killings (2012) and Cyber War (2015). She advises U.S. military and policymakers, frequently contributes to media outlets like The New York Times and Washington Post, and has testified before Congress on national security issues.

Her work addresses hybrid legal frameworks for asymmetric conflict, preservation of cultural heritage during war, and presidential accountability under the rule of law. Finkelstein has led interdisciplinary initiatives, including a working group on closing Guantanamo Bay and reports on civilian harm mitigation in military operations. She is a sought-after commentator on ethics in governance and the intersection of law, morality, and national security policy.