Professor James C. Johnson

Professor James C. Johnson is a Senior Peace Fellow at Public International Law & Policy Group. Professor Johnson is the Chief Prosecutor of the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone, appointed by the Secretary General of the United Nations in September, 2019. He is an Adjunct Professor of Law and Director of the Henry T. King War Crimes Research Office, Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, Ohio, Director of the International Humanitarian Law Roundtable, President of Global Accountability Network and Managing Director of Justice Consultancy International, LLC.

Under Professor Johnson’s supervision, Case Western Reserve law students have undertaken legal research for the International Criminal Court, Cambodia Genocide Tribunal, Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Interpol, IIIM for Syria, and the IIMM for Myanmar. In 2018, he launched the Yemen Accountability Project under which 70 CWRU law students are preparing case files for the eventual prosecution of persons responsible for atrocities in Yemen.

Professor Johnson was the Chief of Prosecutions at the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL). He joined the Office of the Prosecutor at the SCSL in 2003 as Senior Trial Attorney, and was named Chief of Prosecutions in 2006. Prior to joining the SCSL in 2003 he served 20 years as a Judge Advocate in the United States Army, retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.