Gregory J. Hall addresses questions at the intersection of law and morality. Using moral theory, he assesses whether particular laws are morally justifiable. If not, then he argues what the law should be according to the most persuasive moral theory available.
As a result, Mr. Hall has developed a new theory of tort liability. This new theory resolves the tensions that exist between our commitment to democracy and tort law's development in the common law. The theory attempts both to make the strongest argument for the rights-based approach to tort law and to unify it and the law and economics approach to tort law.
Mr. Hall also has a unique research project in criminal law. In this project, he examines what normative requirements a criminal law must meet in order for the government to justifiably enforce that law. Furthermore, in assessing the moral justifiability of the criminal law, he identifies a shortcoming of the law-making process in the United States, a shortcoming with no easy solution. Mr. Hall also works on issues in economic justice and mental health law.
Prior to joining Penn Law as a Sharswood Fellow, Mr. Hall was awarded the Penn Prize for Excellence in Teaching by Graduate Students for his teaching in the philosophy department at Penn. This prize is a university-wide award earned by only a few out of the thousands of graduate students at Penn.
Representative Professional Positions
Penn Sharswood Fellow in Law and Political Theory (2010-Present)
Visiting Faculty Lecturer in Philosophy - Rutgers University, Camden (2010)
Habeas Corpus Legal Work - Drinker Biddle & Reath (2009)
Penn Philosophy Teaching Assistant - University of Pennsylvania (2005-2008)
