Education
B.A., Spelman College
J.D., Harvard Law School

Areas of Expertise
Civil Litigation
Criminal Law
Criminal Procedure
Labor and Employment Law
Legal Research & Writing

Professor Njeri Mathis Rutledge joined the faculty in 2005 where she teaches in the area of Criminal Procedure, Forensic Evidence and Legal Research and Writing. She graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in English from Spelman College and earned her law degree from Harvard Law School where she served as technical editor of the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review. After graduating from Harvard she clerked for the Hon. John T. Nixon, Chief District Judge for the Middle District of Tennessee. Professor Rutledge served as an associate for Baker Botts, L.L.P. where she represented clients in the areas of labor and employment, toxic tort and complex civil litigation for four years. Following Baker Botts, Professor Rutledge entered the public sector as a prosecutor for the Harris County District Attorney’s Office for over three years. During her years as a prosecutor, Professor Rutledge served in the Family Criminal Law Division, Juvenile Division, Misdemeanor and Felony divisions. After leaving the District Attorney’s Office Professor Rutledge spent the 2004-2005 academic year as a visiting professor at South Texas College of Law Houston College of Law. She has also served her community as an associate municipal court judge for over ten years. Professor Rutledge frequently speaks and writes in the areas of domestic violence, criminal justice reform, crime victim compensation, race and policing based on her personal experience, scholarly research, and work experience.

Professor Rutledge’s scholarly interests include criminal justice, criminal law and procedure, critical race theory, domestic violence, law and religion and constitutional law.  Professor Rutledge submitted a formal written statement prior to testifying before the Judicial Proceedings Panel on Sexual Assault in the Military.  Her law review articles have been published in the Maryland Law Review, Duke Journal of Gender Law & Policy, Loyola Los Angeles Law Review, and New Mexico Law Review.  Her opinion essays have been published in the Hill, Medium, and USA Today where she is a member of the USA Today Board of Contributors.