
Jonathan Turley is a well-known legal scholar and professor at George Washington University who has written extensively on constitutional law and legal theory. He has served as a legal expert and consultant on prominent cases and constitutional issues, including with the Florida House of Representatives and the Puerto Rico House of Representatives. Turley grew up in a politically active family in Chicago and has been critical of both Democratic and Republican administrations. While he has been described as a libertarian, he has also been critical of military intervention in the Middle East and has questioned its constitutionality. He has appeared on major television networks such as Fox News and has been ranked as one of the most influential persons in shaping policy.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Political affiliation | Unclear, but has worked with both Republicans and Democrats |
| Profession | Attorney, law professor, legal scholar, author |
| Expertise | Constitutional law, civil rights defense, criminal law, legal theory, tort law |
| Notable cases | Defense of Sami Al-Arian, NSA whistleblower David Faulk, protesters at the World Bank/IMF demonstrations in 2000, the Brown family in their challenge to Utah polygamy laws, Area 51 workers, 2014 challenge to the Affordable Care Act, Elizabeth Morgan custody controversy, Clinton impeachment litigation, national security and terrorism cases, military cases |
| Media contributions | Fox News contributor, USA Today board of contributors, The Hill, Newsweek, GW Law |
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What You'll Learn

Jonathan Turley's political leanings
Jonathan Turley is a nationally recognized legal scholar and professor of law at George Washington University. He is also a Fox News contributor and has written extensively on constitutional law, legal theory, and tort law. Turley grew up in a politically active family in Chicago and has described his mother, a social worker and activist, as an influence on his constitutional theories.
Turley has been described as a libertarian, and in 2016, Libertarian Party presidential candidate Gary Johnson said he would be one of his top two choices for the Supreme Court. Turley has been named as a top pick for the Court by other libertarian candidates as well. In his writing, Turley has criticized the expansion of presidential powers under both Bush and Obama, arguing that it has led to an "imperial presidency model of largely unchecked authority." He has also criticized special treatment for the church in law and questioned the constitutionality of military intervention in the Middle East.
Turley has worked on notable cases in civil rights defense, including the defense of NSA whistleblower David Faulk and protesters at the World Bank/IMF demonstrations in 2000. He has also served as counsel in national security and terrorism cases and has been ranked as one of the top 10 lawyers handling military cases. In addition, he has been a witness before the House and Senate on constitutional and statutory issues.
While Turley has criticized both Democratic and Republican presidents and worked on cases involving members of both parties, he has also made statements that align with Republican viewpoints. For example, he agreed to represent House Speaker John Boehner and the Republican Party in a suit filed against the Obama administration alleging unconstitutional implementation of the Affordable Care Act. He has also been critical of Democrats in his writing, such as an article titled "The Reveal: The Public is Finally Learning How Democrats Pulled Off the Greatest Political Trick in History." In addition, he has appeared on Fox News to discuss what he calls the "Trump-Russia collusion 'hoax'", arguing that there was a secret plan by the Clinton campaign to spread a false claim that Trump was a Russian asset.
Overall, while Turley may have some libertarian leanings and has criticized both major parties, his recent public commentary and affiliations suggest a closer alignment with Republican viewpoints.
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Turley's work as an attorney
Jonathan Turley is an American attorney, legal scholar, writer, commentator, and legal analyst in broadcast and print journalism. He is a professor at George Washington University Law School, where he teaches public interest law. He has also been recognised as one of the top 10 lawyers handling military cases.
Turley has worked on notable cases in civil rights defence, including the defence of Sami Al-Arian, NSA whistleblower David Faulk, protesters at the World Bank/IMF demonstrations in 2000, and the Brown family in their challenge to Utah polygamy laws. He has also served as counsel on prominent federal cases, including the defence of Area 51 workers, nuclear couriers at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and as lead counsel in the 2014 challenge to the Affordable Care Act.
Turley has testified in multiple impeachment hearings and removal trials in Congress, including the impeachment of President Bill Clinton and both the first and second impeachments of President Donald Trump. He has also testified in Congress against President George W. Bush's warrantless domestic surveillance program. He is a First Amendment advocate and frequently writes about free speech restrictions in the private and public sectors.
Turley has also been critical of special treatment for the church in law, asking why there are laws that "expressly exempt faith-based actions that result in harm." He has been a vocal critic of military intervention in the Middle East and has questioned its constitutionality. In addition, he has written and commented on various legal and policy issues, with his articles appearing in national newspapers and his analysis featured on broadcast networks such as CBS and NBC.
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Turley's views on the constitution
Jonathan Turley is an American attorney, legal scholar, writer, commentator, and legal analyst in broadcast and print journalism. He is a self-described "libertarian Democrat" who has been critical of both the Democratic and Republican parties. Turley has testified in multiple impeachment hearings and removal trials in Congress, including the impeachment of President Bill Clinton and both the first and second impeachments of President Donald Trump.
Turley is a strong advocate for free speech and the First Amendment. He has written a book on the subject, titled "The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage". He has also been critical of the expansion of presidential powers under both President Bush and President Obama, arguing that it has led to an "imperial presidency" model with largely unchecked authority. In addition, he has questioned the constitutionality of military intervention in the Middle East and has been a critic of special treatment for the church in law.
Turley has said that it is hard to read the Second Amendment and not conclude that the Framers intended gun ownership to be an individual right. He also holds that the treatment of terrorism suspect Jose Padilla was a serious abuse of power and a violation of the Constitution's system of checks and balances.
Turley supported the Supreme Court nomination of Neil Gorsuch and argued that Americans should welcome the involvement of the courts in vetting and validating the 2020 election results, despite his doubts about the existence of fraud. He has also defended Judge Henry E. Hudson's ruling that the individual mandate in health insurance is unconstitutional, citing a violation of the Commerce Clause of the Constitution.
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Turley's criticism of the Democratic Party
Jonathan Turley is a Fox News Media contributor and the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University. He has been described as a "longtime Clinton critic". In a 2017 column for The Hill, Turley was critical of military intervention in the Middle East and questioned its constitutionality. He has also written extensively in opposition to the death penalty.
Turley has criticised the Democratic Party on several occasions. In an article for Fox News, he accused Democrats of pulling "the greatest political con job ever on Americans", referring to the Trump-Russia collusion 'hoax'. He wrote:
> "Washington was rocked by new releases in the declassification of material related to the origins of the Russian investigation. The material shows further evidence of a secret plan by the Clinton campaign to use the FBI and media to spread a false claim that Donald Trump was a Russian asset."
Turley has also criticised the Democratic Party for what he sees as their populist and impulsive behaviour. In an article titled "The World's Most Dysfunctional Body? Cory Booker Captures the Decline of the United States Senate", Turley writes:
> "In yet another tirade on the floor, Sen. Booker attacked not just President Donald Trump but his Democratic colleagues for voting for a bipartisan bill on law enforcement. Behind the 'I am Spartacus' theatrics is a more troubling trend in the United States Senate as it devolves into a more populist, impulsive institution."
Turley has also taken issue with Congressional Democrats' request to the Justice Department to investigate the CIA's destruction of terrorist interrogation tapes. He said that while these were "very serious allegations", they raised "as many as six identifiable crimes ranging from contempt of Congress, to contempt of Justice, to perjury, to false statements".
In addition, Turley has criticised the Democratic Party for their handling of the Hunter Biden controversy, claiming that former special counsel David Weiss faced obstacles in his effort to prosecute the former president's son, including a virtual boycott from DOJ attorneys in joining his team.
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Turley's association with libertarianism
Jonathan Turley is an American attorney, legal scholar, writer, commentator, and legal analyst in broadcast and print journalism. He is a professor at George Washington University Law School, where he teaches torts, criminal procedure, and constitutional law. He is also a Fox News contributor.
Turley has been named as a top pick for the Supreme Court by Libertarian Party presidential candidates, including Gary Johnson in 2016 and candidates in 2020. In a 2017 column for The Hill, Turley criticised military intervention in the Middle East and questioned its constitutionality. He also supported the Supreme Court nomination of Neil Gorsuch.
Turley has written and commented on a range of issues, including free speech restrictions, civil rights defence, and the Second Amendment. He has also been critical of special treatment for the church in law, asking why there are laws that "exempt faith-based actions that result in harm". In addition, he has expressed concern about the expansion of presidential powers and the rise of a "'fourth branch'" of government, with large agencies issuing regulations and interpreting their own jurisdiction.
While Turley has been associated with libertarianism due to his potential nomination to the Supreme Court by Libertarian Party candidates, his own political leanings are not explicitly clear. He has criticised both Democratic and Republican administrations and has worked on cases involving civil rights defence and the defence of Area 51 workers. He also served as counsel in the 2014 challenge to the Affordable Care Act.
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Frequently asked questions
Jonathan Turley is neither a Republican nor a Democrat. He is a Libertarian.
Jonathan Turley is a nationally recognised legal scholar and attorney. He is also a Fox News contributor and a professor of public interest law at George Washington University.
Jonathan Turley has worked on notable cases in civil rights defence, including the defence of Sami Al-Arian and NSA whistleblower David Faulk. He has also served as counsel on prominent federal cases, including the defence of Area 51 workers and as lead counsel in the 2014 challenge to the Affordable Care Act.
Jonathan Turley believes that "it is hard to read the Second Amendment and not honestly conclude that the Framers intended gun ownership to be an individual right.".
Jonathan Turley is a critic of special treatment for the church in law. He has questioned why there are laws that "expressly exempt faith-based actions that result in harm.".


















