Eugene R. Milhizer

Biography

Dean Emeritus Eugene R. Milhizer is a Professor of Law at Ave Maria School of Law, where he teaches criminal law, criminal procedure, military law, national security law, and trial advocacy. He previously served as President and Dean of the law school and remains one of the institution’s most prominent academic and administrative leaders.

Dean Emeritus Milhizer earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, with High Distinction, from the University of Michigan in 1976 before earning his Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan School of Law in 1979. He later received his Master of Laws from The Judge Advocate General’s School in 1988, graduating as First Honor Graduate.

Before entering legal academia, Dean Emeritus Milhizer served extensively as an Army Judge Advocate. During his military legal career, he participated in hundreds of appellate matters, tried numerous criminal cases, and served in a variety of legal leadership positions. He also taught for three years at The Judge Advocate General’s School at the University of Virginia.

Professor Milhizer joined the faculty of Ave Maria School of Law in 2001. Over the course of his tenure, he has taught courses including Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, National Security Law, Military Law, and Trial Advocacy. His scholarship has focused extensively on criminal procedure, constitutional law, evidentiary issues, confessions, search and seizure doctrine, exclusionary rule jurisprudence, religious liberty, and military justice.

In May 2006, Dean Emeritus Milhizer was appointed Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. In April 2009, he became Acting Dean of the law school, and in January 2010, he was appointed Ave Maria School of Law’s second President and Dean. Under his leadership, the law school successfully completed its historic relocation from Michigan to Naples, Florida during the summer of 2009. He served as President and Dean until returning to full-time teaching in 2014 and again served as Interim President and Dean in 2021.

Dean Emeritus Milhizer has been an invited speaker and presenter at numerous law schools and universities, including Yale Law School, the University of Michigan Law School, The Judge Advocate General’s School, and Franciscan University. He has also appeared frequently in national media as a commentator on criminal law, constitutional law, military affairs, religious liberty, and public policy.

His legal scholarship has appeared in many respected law reviews and journals, including publications from Catholic University, Temple, Ohio State, St. John’s, Missouri, Toledo, and Military Law Review. He is also the author of Dissecting Anatomy of a Murder: The Author, the Crime, the Novel, and the Film (2021).

Dean Emeritus Milhizer’s professional service includes work with the Florida Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism, the Michigan Supreme Court Committee on the Rules of Criminal Procedure, and various legal and academic organizations focused on criminal justice, constitutional law, and professional ethics.

Education

• LL.M., The Judge Advocate General’s School, 1988 (First Honor Graduate)
• J.D., University of Michigan School of Law, 1979
• B.A., Political Science, University of Michigan, 1976 (High Distinction)

Professional Experience

Dean Emeritus Eugene R. Milhizer served as an Army Judge Advocate before entering academia, participating in hundreds of appeals, trying numerous criminal cases, and serving in multiple military leadership positions. He also held a teaching appointment for three years at The Judge Advocate General’s School at the University of Virginia.

Professor Milhizer joined the Ave Maria School of Law faculty in 2001, where he has taught Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, National Security Law, Military Law, and Trial Advocacy.

In May 2006, he was appointed Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. In April 2009, he became Acting Dean of the law school, and in January 2010, he was appointed the institution’s second President and Dean. He served in that leadership role until returning to full-time teaching in 2014. In 2021, he again served as Interim President and Dean before returning to the faculty.

During the summer of 2009, Dean Emeritus Milhizer led the law school through its historic relocation from Michigan to Florida.

Throughout his academic career, he has presented at law schools, universities, professional organizations, legislative bodies, and media outlets nationwide on criminal law, constitutional law, military justice, national security, religious liberty, and trial advocacy.

Honors & Professional Affiliations

• Juris Doctorate (honoris causa), Ave Maria School of Law (2015)
• Legion of Merit, United States Army
• Professor of the Year, Ave Maria School of Law (2003–2004)
• Professor of the Year, Ave Maria School of Law, Association of American Law Schools (2006–2007)
• Moot Court Board Professor of the Year, Ave Maria School of Law (2006–2007)
• Saint Thomas More Distinguished Jurist Award, Franciscan University of Steubenville
• Our Lady of Guadalupe Pro-Life Advocate Award, Franciscan University of Steubenville
• Honoree, Legal Aid Services of Collier County, Florida (2010)
• Paul Harris Fellow, Rotary International
• Fellow, American Bar Foundation
• Member, Board of Governors, Ave Maria School of Law
• President and Director, Ave Maria School of Law Foundation
• Member, Florida Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism
• Member, Committee on the Rules of Criminal Procedure, Michigan Supreme Court (2002–2005)
• Member, Constitutional Protections and Privacy Advisory Board, Florida Region 6 Fusion Center
• Member, American Bar Association
• Member, State Bar of Michigan
• Former Member, Legatus
• Former Advisor on Law and Faith, Cephas Institute
• Admitted to Practice:
  United States Supreme Court
  United States Court of Claims
  United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
  United States Army Court of Criminal Appeals
  United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

Courses Taught

• Criminal Law
• Criminal Procedure
• Military Law
• National Security Law
• Trial Advocacy

Media & Speaking Topics

Publications

• Books
• Dissecting Anatomy of a Murder: The Author, the Crime, the Novel, and the Film (Ave Maria School of Law Press, 2021).
• Searching for Lilly (in progress).
• Selected Law Review Articles
• “Miranda’s Near Death Experience: Reflections on the Occasion of Miranda’s Fiftieth Anniversary,” 66 Catholic University Law Review 577 (2017).
• “Applying the Digital Search Incident to Arrest Doctrine to Predigital Content,” 61 St. Louis University Law Review 165 (2017).
• “Hobby Lobby and Beyond: Considering Moral Responses to the HHS Mandate Litigation,” 81 Prudentia Iuris 149 (2016).
• “The Morality and Legality of the HHS Mandate and ‘Accommodations,’” 11 Ave Maria Law Review 211 (2013).
• “Debunking Five Great Myths about the Fourth Amendment Exclusionary Rule,” 211 Military Law Review 211 (2012).
• “‘The Exclusionary Rule Lottery’ Revisited,” 59 Catholic University Law Review 747 (2010).
• “So Help Me Allah: An Historical and Prudential Analysis of Oaths as Applied to the Current Controversy of the Bible and Quran in Oath Practices in America,” 70 Ohio State Law Journal 1 (2009).
• “Confessions After Connelly: An Evidentiary Solution for Excluding Unreliable Confessions,” 81 Temple Law Review 1 (2008).
• “The Exclusionary Rule Lottery,” 39 Toledo Law Review 755 (2008).
• “Group Status and Criminal Defenses: Logical Relationship or Marriage of Convenience?,” 71 Missouri Law Review 547 (2006).
• “Justification and Excuse: What They Were, What They Are, and What They Ought to Be,” 78 St. John’s Law Review 547 (2006).

Presentations and Media

• Featured presenter at numerous law schools and universities, including Yale Law School, University of Michigan Law School, The Judge Advocate General’s School, and Franciscan University.
• Invited presenter before legislative bodies, rule-making authorities, bar associations, practitioner groups, and religious organizations on criminal law, constitutional law, military affairs, religious liberty, and trial advocacy.
• Frequent media commentator appearing on Fox News Network, EWTN, National Catholic Radio, Relevant Radio, Sirius Radio, Kresta in the Afternoon, and various local television, radio, and print outlets.