I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Philosophy Department at Stanford University and a graduate of the Yale Law School.  In my research, I bring resources from the philosophy of action to bear on questions concerning the justifiable imposition of criminal liability.  My work has been published in Free & Equal and the Criminal Law Bulletin, with work forthcoming in the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology and Criminal Law and Philosophy.  My teaching interests include substantive criminal law, criminal procedure, and evidence.   

I received my J.D. in 2022.  While at Yale, I was an editor for the Yale Law Journal and served as a board member for OutLaws, the queer student group on campus.  I clerked for the Honorable William A. Fletcher on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals during the 2022-23 term.  In 2024, I served as co-counsel on an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in United States v. Skrmetti.  Our team of lawyers and philosophers argued that a Tennessee law banning certain medical procedures for trans kids must receive heightened scrutiny, because it discriminates on the basis of sex.  The brief was quoted in Justice Sotomayor's dissent.  You can see coverage of the brief here.  

I received my B.S. from Stanford University in Symbolic Systems with Honors and Distinction. 

In my spare time, I like to spend time with my wife and our two orange tabbies.  I also like to run slowly and play pool poorly. 

I would love to hear from you!

elisesug@stanford.edu