Elisabeth Semel joined the Berkeley Law faculty in 2001 after two decades as a criminal and capital defense attorney and four years as the director of the American Bar Association Death Penalty Representation Project in Washington, D.C., including several years as adjunct faculty Georgetown Law.
Semel was the founding director of the Death Penalty Clinic, which she currently co-directs. In that role, she represents clients facing capital punishment at all stages of the proceedings in California and several states in the South. Semel and her students have filed amicus curiae briefs in death penalty cases in the U.S. Supreme Court, including Miller-El v. Cockrell, Miller-El v. Dretke, Snyder v. Louisiana, and Williams v. California (all dealing with race discrimination in jury selection).
In 2020, Semel and several of her students published Whitewashing the Jury Box: How California Perpetuates the Exclusion of Black and Latinx Jurors, which provided the evidentiary support for the California Legislature’s passage of AB 3070. The new statute dramatically reshapes the exercise of peremptory challenges trials to preclude strikes in which implicit or explicit racial or ethnic bias could be a factor. In 2024, Semel and another group of students published Guess Who’s Coming to Jury Duty: How the Failure to Collect Juror Demographic Data Contributes to Whitewashing the Jury Box. The new report catalogues the states that gather prospective jurors’ self-identified race and ethnicity and those that do not. It examines what courts do with the information, including whether it is provided to the court and counsel for use during jury selection, and the consequences of these choices in furthering or obstructing jury representativeness and diversity.
Semel maintains a page, Batson Reform State by State, on the Death Penalty Clinic website that tracks reforms in the use of peremptory challenges. Her publications include Batson and the Discriminatory Use of Peremptory Challenges in the 21st Century in Jurywork: Systematic Techniques (Thomson Reuters, 2023-24 ed.) and Reflections on Justice Stevens’s Concurring Opinion in Baze v. Rees: A Fifth Gregg Justice Renounces Capital Punishment, 43 UC Davis L. Rev. 783 (2010). She has written numerous articles about criminal defense practice and testified before Congress and the California Legislature.
Semel is the recipient of the Berkeley Law Faculty Lifetime Achievement Award (2023), an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Bard College (2016), the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice Lifetime Achievement Award (2019), and the Berkeley Law Rutter Award for Teaching Distinction (2015), among other honors.
Education
B.A., Bard College (1972)
J.D., UC Davis (1975)
Elisabeth Anne Semel is teaching the following courses in Spring 2025:
• 285.3D sec. 001 - Death Penalty Clinic Seminar II
• 295.5D sec. 001 - Death Penalty Clinic
Courses During Other Semesters
| Semester | Course Num | Course Title |  Teaching Evaluations | Fall 2025 | 285.2D sec. 001 | Death Penalty Clinic Seminar I | 295.5D sec. 001 | Death Penalty Clinic | Fall 2024 | 285.2D sec. 001 | Death Penalty Clinic Seminar I | View Teaching Evaluation | 295.5D sec. 001 | Death Penalty Clinic | View Teaching Evaluation |
|---|
California prosecutors routinely strike Black and Latino people from juries, report says
A new study from the Death Penalty Clinic found that prosecutors often routinely strike Black and Latino prospective jurors and that appellate courts have failed to rein in the practice
New Report Shows Ongoing Racial Discrimination in CA Jury Selection
An eye-opening report from Berkeley Law’s Death Penalty Clinic shows that racial discrimination is a deeply ingrained part of jury selection in California.
Nirali Beri ’19, Hannah Flanery ’19 Win Sax Prize Honors for Clinical Advocacy
Both displayed exceptional leadership and diligence as housing rights advocates.
Major Gift, Matching Challenge to Help Death Penalty Clinic Expand Its Reach
Inspired by his daughter’s experience at the clinic, Ken Stevens helps fund its clinical supervising attorney position.
Shelby Nacino ’18, Alison Ganem ’18 Honored for Stellar Clinical Advocacy
The students were hailed for their work ethic and legal acumen at Berkeley Law’s East Bay Community Law Center and Death Penalty Clinic, respectively.
A Real Eye-opening Experience
While educators by trade, the faculty who serve on Berkeley Law’s Admissions Committee spend a lot of time learning.
Clinical Program Celebrates Sax Prize Winner Salena Tiet ’17
A two-year standout at Berkeley Law’s Death Penalty Clinic, Tiet was honored for her work ethic and legal acumen.
Saving Lives: Death Penalty Clinic Marks 15th Anniversary
The clinic has earned a national reputation for diligent, effective work on behalf of indigent capital defendants.
Death Penalty Clinic Alums Achieve Landmark Court Victories
Mark Feeser ’07 and Van Swearingen ’08 each score major court triumphs that have significant implications for prisoners.
State Propositions Tackle Criminal Justice System
A slew of ballot propositions are on the state ballot, from repeal of the death penalty to legalization of recreational marijuana.
Alex Kaplan ’16 Wins Sax Prize for Clinical Advocacy
Kaplan was honored for his extraordinary work with Berkeley Law’s Policy Advocacy Clinic and East Bay Community Law Center.