Content warning: This article references domestic abuse. Please refer to the end of the article for on- and off-campus resources. 

A Georgetown University Law Center professor was convicted July 18 of assaulting his wife and ignoring a judge’s order to stay away from her.

Shon Hopwood, a professor of criminal procedure who has been on leave since the beginning of his legal proceedings, previously served nearly 11 years in prison for robbing several banks in Nebraska before studying law and becoming a Georgetown faculty member in 2017 and a White House advisor on prison reform in 2018. Hopwood faces several more years in prison after a D.C. Superior Court jury convicted him on 10 counts, including assault, contempt and obstructing justice.

Hopwood will remain in custody until his Sept. 18 sentencing. Guidelines for his sentencing dictate a minimum sentence of 5 1/2 years, but the maximum sentence is unclear due to Hopwood’s prior convictions, potentially increasing the time he could serve.

Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Ferris Pirro, whose office prosecuted the case, said the conviction represents a success of judicial impartiality.

“A D.C. jury is demanding accountability from the batterer who not only beat his wife but was on the faculty of Georgetown Law teaching criminal law,” Pirro said in a statement. “This D.C. jury wasn’t afraid to demand accountability no matter who the defendant is.”

A Law Center spokesperson said the university respects the jury’s decision and abhors domestic violence. 

“Georgetown Law respects the judicial system and this jury’s decision,” the spokesperson wrote to The Hoya. “Domestic violence is horrific and antithetical to our values as an institution.”

The spokesperson added that Hopwood is currently on leave from the university.

“Shon Hopwood remains on leave from his position as professor and we will review the matter and follow all applicable personnel processes,” the spokesperson wrote. “Beyond that, we cannot comment on personnel matters.”

According to his faculty page, Hopwood has not taught a class since his legal proceedings began in September 2023. 

The trial centered around two instances in April and September 2023 of Hopwood assaulting his wife. Hopwood, who pleaded not guilty, denied his wife’s accusations that he beat, slapped and pushed her repeatedly.

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) visited Hopwood’s house in September 2023 after a 911 caller claimed his wife was locked in the basement. MPD officers allegedly found Hopwood’s wife behind the house with a broken finger. She later detailed four instances of abuse when filing for a temporary protection order later that month.

Pirro praised MPD officers’ instincts, saying their quick thinking during the welfare check on Hopwood’s house helped protect his wife from future harm.

“Kudos to the MPD, who insisted on checking things around the house, and found his wife bruised and beaten in an almost catatonic state, hiding from her husband,” Pirro said in a press conference. “Now, ironically, Hopwood is on the faculty of Georgetown Law school, where he teaches criminal law and he was brought on to the faculty in a celebration of second chances. Mr. Shon Hopwood does not deserve any more chances.”

Hopwood’s defense attorney, Philip Andonian, did not respond to a request for comment.

The court postponed the trial, which was originally scheduled for June 2024, to June 2025 when the victim was not present despite a government subpoena. Prosecutors discovered Hopwood had pressured her to leave Washington, D.C., to avoid her testimony by threatening her livelihood and relationships with their two children.

The jury convicted Hopwood on 10 counts, including three counts of assault, five counts of contempt and two counts of obstructing justice.

Hopwood showed little emotion as the jury read the verdicts, according to reports from the courtroom.

During Hopwood’s time in federal prison for robbery, he studied law and became a jailhouse lawyer, helping win a 2004 case before the U.S. Supreme Court, in which the justices sided with a prisoner alleging his constitutional right to an attorney was denied.

Advocacy groups and media organizations heralded Hopwood as an exemplar of prison reform and second chances.

After becoming a licensed attorney in 2014 — five years after leaving prison — Hopwood joined Georgetown as a teaching fellow and later a professor of criminal procedure. 

Hopwood was a frequent advocate for formerly incarcerated individuals, working with the White House during President Donald Trump’s first term. Trump celebrated Hopwood during a signing ceremony for a prison reform bill in 2019. Hopwood also employed Trump’s daughter, Tiffany Trump (LAW ’20), as a research assistant while she attended Georgetown.

Pirro said the verdict reaffirms the District’s commitment to stopping domestic violence.

“Domestic violence is a scourge that continues to wreak havoc on American families across this country,” Pirro said. “And far too often, this crime takes place behind closed doors as the abuser continues to psychologically threaten his victim. Today is no different, except a D.C. jury has made a decision to demand accountability and has taken the side of the victim.”

Resources: On-campus resources include Health Education Services (202-687-8949) and Counseling and Psychiatric Service (202-687-6985); additional off-campus resources include the National Domestic Violence Hotline (800-799-7233), D.C. Victim Hotline (1-844-443-5732) and House of Ruth, a 24-hour hotline and shelter for women and their children in D.C. (202-667-7001).