As the 2025–2026 academic year draws to a close, the University of Miami School of Law prepares to bid farewell to one of its most distinguished criminal law scholars. Professor Scott Sundby, who holds the Robert C. Josefsberg Endowed Chair in Criminal Justice Advocacy, has announced his retirement, marking the conclusion of a career that has profoundly shaped the landscape of American capital punishment jurisprudence and inspired generations of legal minds.
A Scholar of Conscience
Sundby is widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading experts on the death penalty. His seminal book, A Life and Death Decision: A Jury Weighs the Death Penalty, remains a cornerstone of criminal law scholarship. By deconstructing how jurors navigate the agonizing choice between life and death, Sundby provided a rare, behind-the-curtain look at the intersection of psychology and the Bill of Rights. His research through the Capital Jury Project fundamentally altered how practitioners and scholars understand the mechanics of the Eighth Amendment.
Sundby has served as an expert witness in cases involving the death penalty and testified before the Florida Legislature after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Florida's death penalty conviction procedure.
Before coming to Miami, Sundby was the Sydney and Frances Lewis Professor of Law at Washington & Lee University's School of Law. He has been a visiting professor and lecturer at leading law schools worldwide and was a Fulbright Scholar at Trinity College Dublin. He also took a leave from his academic career to serve as Special Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of Florida.
A Lasting Impact
Beyond the classroom and his publications, Sundby’s influence extended into the very heart of the legal system. His insights have been cited in landmark judicial opinions and have informed the strategies of defense attorneys nationwide. He leaves behind a legacy of principled inquiry—a reminder that the law is not just a set of rules, but a reflection of a society’s most fundamental values.
The School of Law will host a celebratory reception on May 8 to honor his years of service, his unwavering integrity, and his profound commitment to the pursuit of justice.
