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Susan Sullivan

Susan Sullivan

Susan Sullivan

  • College of Liberal Arts

    • Criminal Justice

      • Assistant Professor - Instructional

    • Political Science

      • Assistant Professor - Instructional

Expertise

Constitutional Law, Politics, Criminal Justice, Political Science, Law

Biography

Professor Sullivan joined the faculty of the Political Science and Criminal Justice Departments at Temple in 2018 and teaches a range of courses in politics, law, and criminal justice, including Constitutional Law, Civil Rights, the Supreme Court, White Collar Crime, Criminal Procedure, and Justice in America. Professor Sullivan also teaches in the Intellectual Heritage Program. Her academic career includes teaching law at San Francisco Law School, Widener School of Law, and Saint Joseph's University (Literature in Translation).

Professor Sullivan graduated from Exeter University in the United Kingdom with a B.A. in English Literature, earned her M.S. from St. Mary's College, and her J.D. from Rutgers Law School, and her Certificate in the Moral Philosophy of Politics from Yale University.

Professor Sullivan was a Law Clerk for a federal Judge on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals (now a US Supreme Court Justice) before practicing law at Cravath Swaine and Moore in New York and Coblentz Cohen McCabe and Breyer in San Francisco. Her areas of specialization include constitutional law, First Amendment law, white-collar crime, and intellectual Property. She has served indigent clients in family law matters, including the representation of battered women, and represented plaintiffs pro bono in employment discrimination litigation.

Professor Sullivan serves on various department and university committees including the CLA NTT Merit Committee, the Faculty Senate ad hoc Committee in Defense of Academic Freedom, Institutional Integrity, and the Research Enterprise, and the President’s Task Force addressing developments by the federal government.

Professor Sullivan is the ad hoc legal advisor and works with students considering law school, providing advice, counsel, and hands-on assistance addressing students’ specific needs and developing individual, personalized strategies to prepare them for the law school admission process.

Professor Sullivan is a regular live television news commentator. Her appearances include interviews and analysis of legal issues for MSNBC, the BBC, and TRT International TV News, covering pressing issues of the day related to law, politics, and current events, including gun control, international affairs, abortion rights, the Supreme Court, and criminal justice. She is also an occasional guest commentator for local radio news outlets such as KYW News Radio in Philadelphia and BBC Essex in England. She has written multiple op-eds for several prominent media outlets, including The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Huffington Post.

Professor Sullivan also interviews writers before a live audience in on-stage ‘conversations’ subsequently broadcast on National Public Radio (NPR). Some of her recent interviewees include Salman Rushdie, Jonathan Franzen, and Arundhati Roy.

Curriculum Vitae

Selected Publications

Recent Editorials

Media Interviews

University Service, Panels and Presentations

  • Faculty Senate, Member 2025/2026 - Co-Chair, Faculty Senate ad hoc Committee in Defense of Academic Freedom, Institutional Integrity, and the Research Enterprise
  • Elected Member – College of Liberal Arts Executive Merit Committee 2023 – 2025 (Temple University; Philadelphia, PA) - Evaluates the College of Liberal Arts faculty performance to determine eligibility for increased compensation
  • Elected Member – Department of Political Science NTT Merit Committee 2023 – 2025 (Temple University; Philadelphia, PA) - Evaluated all Political Science Department faculty performance to determine eligibility for increased compensation
  • Invited Debate Moderator – Political Science Society 2021-2025 (Temple University; Philadelphia, PA) - Moderates annual debates between legal and political public figures
  • Invited Speaker “Law School 101.” (Fall, 2024; Spring 2025) - Invited speaker and panelist. (Temple University, Philadelphia, PA)
  • Invited Speaker “International Law: Global Studies and Politics.” (June 2024, 2025) - Invited speaker and panelist. (Temple University, Philadelphia, PA.)
  • Invited Speaker “Professionalism Series: Unpacking Law School.” (February 2024, 2025) - Invited speaker and panelist. (Temple University, Philadelphia, PA.)
  • Judge – Northeast Regional Mock Trial (2024, 2025) Temple University; Philadelphia, PA

Courses Taught

Political Science Department

  • Constitutional Law I
  • Civil Rights
  • Constitutional Principles II
  • The History and Significance of Race in America
  • The Supreme Court
  • American Political Systems

Criminal Justice Department

  • White Collar Crime
  • Crime and Justice Around the Globe
  • Criminal Procedure
  • Justice in America
  • The History and Significance of Race in America

Intellectual Heritage Program

  • Intellectual Heritage I