Conor Gearty

Conor A. Gearty KC (Hon), FBA (born November 1957) is the Professor of Human Rights Law^[1] in the faculty of law at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). From 2002 to 2009, he was Director of the Centre for the Study of Human Rights^[2] at the LSE. His academic research focuses primarily on civil liberties, terrorism and human rights.

Conor Gearty was born in Ireland and graduated in law from University College Dublin before moving to Wolfson College, Cambridge in 1980 to study for a master's degree and then for a PhD. He became a fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge in 1983. In 1990, he moved to the school of law at King's College London, where he was first a senior lecturer, then a reader and finally (from 1995) a professor.^[3]

Gearty is also a practising barrister and a founder member of Matrix Chambers. He has also been a visiting professor at Boston University, the University of Richmond and the University of New South Wales. He received honorary degrees from Brunel University and Roehampton University.^[4]

Background

Originally from Abbeylara, County Longford, Ireland, he was educated at Castleknock College before going to University College Dublin as an undergraduate and Cambridge University as a post-graduate. He had significant debating success in University, twice winning the Irish Times debating competition and serving as Auditor of the University College Dublin Law Society.^[5]

Bibliography

Books

• On Fantasy Island. Britain, Europe, and Human Rights (2016)
• Liberty and Security (2013)
• Gearty, Conor & Virginia Mantouvalou (2011). Debating social rights. Portland, Oregon: Hart Publishing.
• Essays on Human Rights and Terrorism (2008) Cameron May
• Civil Liberties (2007) Clarendon Publishing
• Can Human Rights Survive? (2006) Hamlyn Lectures
• Principles of Human Rights Adjudication (2004) Oxford University Press
• (with Keith Ewing)The Struggle for Civil Liberties
• (with Keith Ewing) Freedom under Thatcher: Civil Liberties in Modern Britain (1990) Oxford University Press

Essays and reporting

• Gearty, Conor (20 June 1986). "Lords welcome in police rules". New Statesman: 12–13.
• "When it can be right to do wrong", The Tablet (11 October 2008)