Ronald S. Sullivan, Jr., the first African-American faculty dean at Harvard, has joined Harvey Weinstein’s defense team, a decision that has landed him in an escalating controversy.

By Isaac Chotiner @ NewYorker.com, March 7

Ronald S. Sullivan, Jr., a clinical professor at Harvard Law School, is among the most high-profile criminal-defense lawyers in the country. Sullivan represented Aaron Hernandez in his acquittal for a double homicide and helped the family of Michael Brown reach a $1.5-million wrongful-death settlement with the city of Ferguson, Missouri. Sullivan has also devoted much of his career to representing less-privileged defendants [....]

 In January, Harvey Weinstein announced that Sullivan had joined his defense team. Some students revolted in anger, protesting Sullivan’s decision and signing an online petition saying that he should resign as the faculty dean of Winthrop House. In response, Sullivan wrote an e-mail to Winthrop residents, describing the importance of representing “unpopular defendants”; he went on to appoint a new point person in the residential college for conversations about sexual assault. This did little to quell students’ concerns, and last week Harvard College announced that it would conduct a “climate review” of Winthrop House, which could lead to administrative action.

I recently spoke twice by phone with Sullivan to discuss his career and his decision to represent Weinstein. During our conversations, which have been edited for length and clarity, we also discussed the state of campus debate and his belief that racism contributed to Harvard’s decision to conduct the climate survey [....]