Paula C. Johnson

Paula C. Johnson serves as Professor of Law at Syracuse University College of Law and Director of the Cold Case Justice Initiative (CCJI), which she co-founded to investigate racially-motivated murders from the civil rights era and contemporary times. She also holds an appointment on New York's Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission, advising on equity issues within the court system.

Education:

• B.A., University of Maryland, College Park (1981)
• J.D., Temple University School of Law (1985)
• LL.M., Georgetown University Law Center (1990)

Her research critically examines intersections of race, gender, and criminal law through frameworks of international human rights and voting rights. Work focuses on systemic inequities affecting incarcerated women, gentrification as racial violence, and barriers to educational access, emphasizing community-centered legal advocacy and historical justice.

Publications reveal consistent thematic threads: documenting marginalized voices (particularly African American women in prison), analyzing spatial violence in urban environments, and connecting civil rights-era atrocities to contemporary racial justice movements through rigorous interdisciplinary scholarship.

Scientific Awards:

• Syracuse University College of Law CCJI Award (2018)
• Black Law Students Association Outstanding Advisor Award (2018)
• Trailblazer Award from Syracuse University (2016)
• Central New York ACLU Ralph E. Kharas Distinguished Service Award (2015)
• Emmett Till Legacy Foundation Woman of Courage Award (2015)
• National Civil Rights Social Justice Award (2014)
• Syracuse University Chancellor’s Citation for Excellence
• Unsung Heroine Award from Syracuse University MLK Committee

Professor Johnson actively advises law students' research and serves on committees for joint-degree candidates across Syracuse University. She chairs the College of Law Curriculum Committee, participates in Promotion and Tenure reviews, and advises the Black Law Students Association and OUTLAW (LGBTQ organization), demonstrating deep institutional engagement.

She co-directs the Cold Case Justice Initiative, a collaborative research team working with civil rights organizations and affected communities to reinvestigate unresolved civil rights-era murders, combining archival research, community testimony, and legal advocacy.