75 Am. U. L. Rev. 1 (2025).

Foreword

After half a century as a law professor, is it time for me to retire? Not if I can help it.

I know that may sound stubborn—maybe even delusional—but I still love what I do. I love the classroom, the students, the puzzles, the stories. I even love the challenge of turning the nuances of the Model Penal Code—or the intricacies of habeas corpus—into something that resembles an authentic conversation.

I’m not here to give a retirement speech, and I have no plans to do so. What follows is neither a manifesto nor a eulogy. It’s just one professor’s long, winding look back—at the people who shaped me, the lessons I learned (often the hard way), and the moments that made me laugh, cry, and stick around for fifty years.

I suppose my interest in criminal law began much earlier—in fourth grade, to be exact. I remember filling out a classroom questionnaire that asked what we wanted to be when we grew up. I wrote “criminal defense lawyer.” Why would a ten-year-old write such a thing? Maybe because Perry Mason was one of the most popular shows on TV at the time. Maybe because the father of the kid sitting next to me was a criminal defense lawyer. Maybe because the kid had written “criminal defense lawyer” on his paper and I had glanced at it for some guidance. Whatever the reason, the answer stayed with me.

* Distinguished Professor of Law and Barnard T. Welsh Scholar, American University Washington College of Law. Professor Robbins has served as a faculty advisor to the American University Law Review since 1980 and as Chairperson of the Faculty Advisory Committee since 2012. Copyright © 2025 by Ira P. Robbins. All rights reserved.