David Aaronson
B.J. Tennery Professor of Law
Office: Room 410
Phone: 202-274-4201
E-mail: daarons@wcl.american.edu
David Aaronson is the Director of WCL’s nationally recognized Trial Advocacy Program. His areas of specialization include: Criminal and Civil Trial Advocacy, Criminal Procedure, and Evidence. After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1964, he was selected to be a Prettyman Fellow in the Georgetown Graduate Law Center's Legal Internship Program, the first LLM program focusing on trial advocacy skills. He represented indigent persons accused of crime in Federal and local courts and served as a clinical instructor. He joined the Washington College of Law faculty in 1970, after practicing civil and criminal law with a private law firm. During 1971-1973, he served as Interim Director of Clinical Programs and Co-Director of the Maryland Criminal Justice Clinic, developing the prosecutor component.
In 1975, he published the first book of pattern criminal jury instructions in Maryland. Professor Aaronson served as a co-principal investigator of two U.S. Department of Justice funded national criminal justice studies, including a path-breaking study of “Alternatives to Conventional Criminal Adjudication.” In 1981, he joined his colleague, Professor Anthony C. Morella, as Co-Director of the Trial Advocacy Program, continuing until 2004, when, upon Morella's retirement, he became program director. He has authored or co-authored seven books and monographs and numerous articles on topics such as criminal jury instructions, the insanity defense, police discretion and public policy, decriminalization of public drunkenness laws, and alternatives to conventional criminal adjudication.
Professor Aaronson has served as chair of the Maryland State Bar Association's Section of Criminal Law and Practice. He is on the executive committee of the Association of American Law School’s Criminal Justice Section, and a member and, currently, co-chair of the ABA's Criminal Justice Section's Rules of Criminal Procedure, Evidence, and Police Practices Committee. He received the Robert C. Heeney Award (presented “to those individuals exemplifying the highest professional standards and achievement in the field of criminal law during their distinguished careers”) in 1999 from the Maryland State Bar Association, Section of Criminal Law and Practice. He has been twice honored as "Outstanding Teacher" and as American University Scholar/Teacher of the Year. He is an elected member of the American Law Institute.
Currently Teaching
Areas of Specialization
- Criminal Procedure
- Evidence
- Criminal and Civil Trial Advocacy
Degrees & Universities
- Ph.D., George Washington University 1970 (economics)
- LL.M., Georgetown University Law Center 1965
- LL.B., Harvard Law School 1964
- M.A., George Washington University 1964
- B.A., George Washington University 1961
Selected Publications
- David Aaronson, Maryland Criminal Jury Instructions and Commentary (2d ed., Michie Co. 1988).
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More Publications...
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Books
- David Aaronson, C.T. Dienes & M.C. Musheno, Public Policy and Police Discretion: Processes of Decriminalization (The Clark Boardman Company 1984).
- David Aaronson, C.T. Dienes & M.C. Musheno, Decriminalization of Public Drunkeness: Tracing the Implementation of a Public Policy (U.S. Govt. Printing Off. 1982).
- David Aaronson, N. Kittrie, & D. Saari, Alternatives to Conventional Criminal Adjudication: Guidebook for Planners and Practitioners (U.S. Govt. Printing Off. 1977).
- David Aaronson, B. Hoff, P. Jazi, N. Kittire, & D. Saari, The New Justice: Alternatives to Conventional Criminal Adjudication (U.S. Govt. Printing Off. 1977).
- David Aaronson, Maryland Criminal Justice Clinic Trial Practice Manual (American University Law School, Georgetown University Law School 1973).
Other Publications
- David Aaronson, Proposed Maryland Jury Instruction on Cross-Racial Identification, 3 Crim. L. Br. 2 (Spring 2008).
- David Aaronson, Cross-Racial Identification of Defendants in Criminal Cases: A Proposed Model Jury Instruction, 23 Crim. Just. 4 (2008).
- David Aaronson, Helping Jurors to Make Sense of Expert Testimony, Am. Inquiry 4 (Fall 1989).
- David Aaronson & R. Simon, The Defense of Insanity, in Controversial Issues in Crime and Justice (Hirschi & Scott, eds., Sage Publications 1988).
- David Aaronson, The Insanity Defense: Law and Policy, Proceedings of the Judicial Conference of the District of Columbia Circuit, 111 Fed. R. Dec. 221 (1986).
- David Aaronson, Maryland Responds to the Hinckley Case: Changes in the Insanity Defense, 19 Md. B. J. 33 (Jan. 1985).
- David Aaronson, C.T. Dienes & M.C. Musheno, Street Level Law: Public Policy and Police Discretion in Decriminalizing Public Drunkenness, 25 Am. Behavioral Sci. 3375 (Sept./Oct. 1981).
- David Aaronson, C.T. Dienes & M.C. Musheno, Changing the Public Drunkeness Laws: The Impact of Decriminalization, 12 L. & Socy. Rev. 405 (1978).
- David Aaronson, Improving Police Discretion: Rationality in Handling Public Inebriates: Part II, 30 Admin. L. Rev. 93 (1978).
- David Aaronson, Improving Police Discretion: Rationality in Handling Public Inebriates: Part I, 29 Admin. L. Rev. 447 (1977).
- David Aaronson, Policing Public Inebriates in Decriminalized Cities: A Summary of Methods and Findings, 6 Contemp. Drug Probs. 207 (1977).
- David Aaronson & J. Sweeny, Criminal Law Reform in the District of Columbia: An Assessment of Needs and Directions, 24 Am. U. L. Rev. 207 (1975).
- David Aaronson & R. Wallace, A Reconsideration of the Fourth Amendment's Doctrine of Search Incident to Arrest, 64 Geo. L.J. 3353 (1975).
- David Aaronson, A Legislative History of the Property Rights in Inventions Provisions of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, in An Evaluation of the Patent Polices of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (United States Government Printing Office 1966).
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Selected Works in Progress
- David Aaronson, New Rights and Remedies: The Federal Crime Victims’ Rights Act of 2004, __ Pace L. Rev. __ (forthcoming 2008).
- David Aaronson, Maryland Criminal Jury Instructions and Commentary (3d. ed., Lexis-Nexis forthcoming 2008).
- David Aaronson, Elizabeth I. Boals, & Anthony C. Morella, Reflections: The Honorable Irma S. Raker – Judge, Teacher and Role Model, __ Am. U. L. Rev. __ (forthcoming 2008).
