Education

B.S. Duke University
M.E.M., Duke University
M.A., Johns Hopkins University
M.F.A., University of Wisconsin-Madison
J.D., Washington University in St. Louis

Biography

Steven Wright teaches and writes about criminal law, voting and civil rights, race and the law, and appellate practice and policy.

His expertise in race, criminal practice and procedure, the courts and civil rights has appeared in, among others, the New York Times, the Washington Post, NBC's Today show, Bloomberg Radio, CBS News, NBC News, National Public Radio, USA Today, Politico, CNN, and the Associated Press. His expertise has also appeared in international media outlets including The Australian Broadcasting Channel, the Canadian Broadcasting Channel, Japan's Asahi Shimbun.  

He appeared on C-Span's Washington Journal, where he shared his experience supervising federal election monitors. His innocence cases have appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the Journal Times. He's also appeared on C-Span's Book TV. 

For the New York Review of Books, he's written essays about race, criminal justice, and election law. He's also published essays and Op-Ed's in The Hill, Lithub, The Washington Post and Crimereads. 

Before joining the University of Wisconsin faculty, Professor Wright was a trial attorney in the Voting Section of the United States Department of Justice. He litigated cases to enforce the Voting Rights Act, the Civil Rights Acts, National Voter Registration Act, and the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act. He also clerked for the Honorable Lavenski Smith, United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

TEACHING

Professor Wright is a clinical associate professor and founder of the Constitutional Litigation, Appeals, and Sentencing Project (CLASP).

He is also the former co-director of the Wisconsin Innocence Project, which seeks to exonerate the innocent. Professor Wright has also taught first-year criminal law, federal appellate practice and procedure, postconviction litigation, and appellate advocacy.

During his time with the Wisconsin Innocence Project, Professor Wright has participated in several exonerations including the exoneration of Daniel Scheidell and Sam Hadaway. He's also won cases in the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the Wisconsin Court of Appeals.

He's also taught podium courses including first-year criminal law, The Federal Sentencing Guidelines, The Constitution & the Right to Appeal,  Federal Appellate Litigation & Practice, and Postconviction Practice and Procedure.

SIGNIFICANT SERVICE AND MAJOR RECOGNITIONS

• Executive Committee (past). Wisconsin Judicial Council.

The Wisconsin Legislature establed the Judicial Council to study and make recommendations relating to: (1) court pleading, practice and procedure; and (2) organization, jurisdiction and methods of administration and operation of Wisconsin courts

• Chair (past). Wisconsin Judicial Council. Appellate Rules Committee.

This Committee of the Wisconsin Judicial Council studies and recommends changes to the Wisconsin Rules of Appellate Procedure.

• Board of Directors (past). Clinical Legal Education Association (CLEA).

This  professional association advocates for clinical legal education as fundamental to the education of lawyers. Among the organization's goals is (1): reforming legal education so as to prepare law students for excellent and reflective law practice; (2) pursuing and promoting justice and diversity as core values of the legal profession.