“The essence of living a good life is not adherence to a good set of rules, but identification of our interests with the interest of the one who truly is good, the one who defines what goodness is — with the Father — by becoming a member of His family.”

Professor William J. Stuntz
1958 - 2011
Announcement
An Evening Honoring the Life and Legacy of Professor William J. Stuntz (1958-2011), 4/2/2025, Harvard Law School
Please RSVP by March 19, 2025
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Honoring the Legacy of Professor William J. Stuntz and His Faith-Driven Legal Scholarship

About Prof. Stuntz  →
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Library of Works

Browse the most comprehensive collection of the works of Professor William J. Stuntz, including academic and non-academic works, published and unpublished.
A Legacy of Justice Inspired by Faith

Introduction to the Project

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Welcome to the website of the William J. Stuntz Legacy Project (WSLP), an undertaking dedicated to honoring the life and work of the late Professor William J. Stuntz (1958-2011), a distinguished and profoundly influential Harvard Law School academic whose scholarship united rigorous legal analysis with a Christian vision of justice, compassion, and mercy. The WSLP was founded by a group of colleagues, friends, and admirers of Professor Stuntz with the view of establishing a comprehensive online repository of his works – both published and unpublished. Explore the WSLP’s rich collection of Professor Stuntz’s books, articles, blog posts, and other materials critiquing the injustices within the American criminal justice system, while advocating for a system mirroring Christian ideals of fairness, dignity, and care for the vulnerable. Whether you are a student, scholar, a legal professional, or simply interested in the role of faith in public life, the repository provided on this site is designed to engage, educate, and inspire.

News & Press

Peruse articles, videos, and podcasts about Professor Stuntz and the WSLP.

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Events & Programming

Explore upcoming and past WSLP events on Harvard campus and beyond.

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Fellowships

Learn about the WSLP fellowship program that carries forward Professor Stuntz’s vision.

Learn More  →
“Bill was extraordinary; his wisdom and compassion touched our lives in so many ways, large and small. His gifts to society through his scholarship and teaching on criminal law and justice changed and improved academic inquiry and policies on the ground. His scholarship and teaching of Christian legal theory and of confronting life’s burdens inspire people in our community and well beyond it. He imbued his work and his life with a vision of mercy and compassion. The Harvard Law School, the larger community of scholars, and the communities connected through Bill’s writings are better, wiser, kinder because of Bill.”
– Professor Martha Minow
“Among his many gifts to us was the grace with which he lived his life. In knowing Bill, we couldn’t help but be reminded to live life as our better selves. Bill once wrote, ‘We understand that the world is not what it should be, and that our own capacities to understand it are severely limited.’ He described and lived his life in recognition of the need for humility and also for judgment and work to repair what we find around us.”
— Professor Martha Minow
“One of the things that’s striking about Bill was that he was in many ways a bundle ofcontradictions. . . He was really successful, and yet extraordinarily humble. He was more conservative than many on the faculty, and also more radical in his views. His contradictions didn’t cancel each other out; they added up to make him really what people mean when they say ‘a true original.’ He’s someone who, I think, is truly irreplaceable. There are a lot of wonderful people, but there really isn’t anyone like him.’”
— Professor Carol Steiker

Professor William J. Stuntz Legacy Project

Continuing the Legacy of Justice and Faith

Join us in our mission to promote the work of Professor William J. Stuntz, and to continue his legacy of impactful justice informed and inspired by the Christian faith.

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Contact the WSLP  →
Harvard Law School
1585 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138
wslp@law.harvard.edu
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