Ekow Yankah

Ekow N. Yankah is a Professor of Law and Philosophy at the University of Michigan, holding the Thomas M. Cooley Professorship. His work bridges political theory, criminal law, and racial justice, with a focus on political obligation, punishment justification, and voting rights.

• Education
  • University of Michigan, BA
  • Columbia University, JD
  • Oxford University, BCL

Yankah's research explores the intersection of legal philosophy, criminal law, and civil rights, with recent work on police violence, racialized mens rea, and systemic racism. His scholarship appears in journals like Harvard Law & Policy Review, Stanford Law Review, and Arizona State Law Journal.

As a public intellectual, Yankah writes for major outlets (New York Times, Washington Post) and serves on nonprofit boards including the Innocence Project. Awards include the NYDLC Guardian of Democracy Award (2020), Cardozo's Inspiration Award, and the first non-Cardozo recipient of their Alumni of the Year Award.