Jonathan P. Witmer-Rich

Jonathan P. Witmer-Rich is Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Online Programs at Cleveland State University’s Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, where he also co-directs the Criminal Justice Center. His scholarship and teaching concentrate on criminal procedure and criminal law theory.

Education

• BA, English, Goshen College (1997)
• JD, University of Michigan Law School (2000)

Research Interests

Professor Witmer-Rich’s research spans multiple facets of criminal justice, including constitutional limits on covert searches, the evolution of consent standards in sexual assault law, doctrinal issues surrounding provocation defenses, and the legal implications of pretextual traffic stops. He also examines counter-terrorism law and policy, frequently contributing to public discourse through media commentary.

His service work is closely aligned with these interests. Since 2010 he has served as counsel to the Ohio Commission on the Rules of Practice and Procedure’s Criminal Rules Committee, drafting proposed amendments to the Ohio Rules of Criminal Procedure. He was a member of the Cuyahoga County Bail Task Force and principal drafter of its 2018 Report and Recommendations, directly shaping pretrial reform in Northeast Ohio.

Awards & Honors

• Ohio Faculty Innovator Award (Ohio Board of Regents)
• Cleveland-Marshall Alumni Association Stapleton Award for Faculty Excellence
• 2015 Faculty of the Year Award (selected by students)

Professional Background & Advising

After graduating from Michigan Law, Professor Witmer-Rich clerked for Judge M. Blane Michael of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and for Judge Joseph R. Goodwin of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia. He then practiced as a litigation associate at Jones Day in Cleveland for three years before joining the Federal Public Defender’s Office, where he represented defendants in a wide range of federal criminal matters, including a three-month terrorism trial in Toledo and habeas corpus proceedings for Guantánamo Bay detainees. He joined the Cleveland-Marshall faculty in 2009.

Teaching & Centers

• Criminal Law
• Criminal Procedure I & II
• Legal Responses to Terrorism

Through the Criminal Justice Center, he collaborates with faculty, students, and community stakeholders to advance research, policy analysis, and reform initiatives in the criminal justice system.