Biography
Professor Powell is a professor in the School of Law and served as Seattle University's Associate Provost for Global Engagement from 2014-2018. He also serves as the founding SJD Program Director. He previously taught at the University of Jordan, Santa Clara University and Loyola University Chicago. His main area of research is comparative religious jurisprudence (with particular interests in Catholic social thought and Islamic legal theory), and his scholarship has explored finance, secularism, divorce, almsgiving and forgiveness. His most recent book analyzes the implications of his empirical research in Turkey exploring perceptions of secularism and Islamic legal tradition. His current scholarship draws from this comparative research in an attempt to develop a new framework for considering law and religion. He has recently served as the Chair of both the AALS Section on Islamic Law and the Islamic Law Committee of the American Branch of the International Law Association. He was formerly the Chair of the Conference on Catholic Legal Thought, and he continues to contribute to the Mirror of Justice (a blog considering issues related to law and Catholicism). Professor Powell was a corporate associate at Coudert Brothers and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. He also served as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. State Department. In addition to comparative religious jurisprudence, his areas of expertise include business entity law, corporate governance and torts. Professor Powell has graduate degrees in philosophy/theology and Near Eastern studies. He reads and speaks a number of languages including Arabic, Turkish and Farsi.
Publications
- Just War and Christian Pacificism: A Reconsideration, Work in Progress
- Muslim Civil Society Organizations, Zakat, and Finance, __ J. of Muslim Philanthropy & Civ. Soc. ___ (2023 forthcoming).
- A Reflection on “Spirit of the Corporation”, 45 Seattle University Law Review 291 (2023 forthcoming).
- Islamic Constitutionalism in Comparative Perspective, __ Arab Law Quarterly. __ (2023 forthcoming).
- The Cambridge Handbook on Investor Protections, chapter on “Investor Protection in Muslim Countries” Cambridge University Press (2022).
- Religious Parties and the Politics of Civil Liberties by Vineeta Yadav, 64 J. of Church and State 510 (2022).
- Spirit of the Corporation, 44 Seattle University Law Review 371 (2021).
- Social Justice and Islamic Jurisprudence, 17 Seattle J. of Soc. Just. 1 (2019).
- The Politics of Secularism: Religion, Diversity, and Institutional Change in France and Turkey by Murat Akan 60 J. of Church and State 736 (2018).
- Laudato Si: Engaging Islamic Tradition and Implications for Legal Thought, 40 Seattle U. L. Rev. 1293 (2017).
- SHARIĘżA IN THE SECULAR STATE: Evolving Perceptions of Law and Religion in Turkey (Routledge 2016).
- Does ShariĘża Play a Role in Turkey? 41 PEPPERDINE LAW REVIEW 1101 (2014).
- Comparative Insights Regarding Religion and Democracy in a Muslim Context. DEMOCRACY, CULTURE, AND CATHOLICISM: INTERNATIONAL VOICES, GLOBAL INTERPRETATIONS (Fordham University Press 2015).
- The Possible Advantages of Islamic Financial Jurisprudence: An Empirical Study of the Dow Jones Islamic Market Index. 19 FORDHAM JOURNAL OF CORPORATE & FINANCIAL LAW 393 (2014).
- Evolving Views of Islamic Law in Turkey. 28 JOURNAL OF LAW AND RELIGION 467 (2013).
- Shari'a Politics: Islamic Law and Society in the Modern World. Ed. Robert W. Hefner. 28 JOURNAL OF LAW AND RELIGION 287 (2013).
- Islamic Law and Civil Code: The Law of Property in Egypt by Richard A. Debs. 132 JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ORIENTAL SOCIETY 335 (2012).
- Fethullah Gülen. ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ISLAMIC LAW (2012).
- Forgiveness in Islamic Ethics and Jurisprudence. 4 BERKELEY J. OF MID. EAST. & ISLAMIC L. 17 (2011).
- The Study of Secularism and Religion in the Constitution and Contemporary Politics Of Turkey: The Rise Of Interdisciplinarity and the Decline of Methodology? 7 ST. THOMAS LAW J. 714 (2010).
- Secularism and Muslim Democracy in Turkey by M. Hakan Yavuz. 33 POL. & LEG. ANTHRO. REV. 396 (2010).
- Forgiveness in Islamic Jurisprudence and Its Role in Intercommunal Relations. ISLAMIC LAW & LAW OF THE MUSLIM WORLD EJOURNAL (2010).
- Zakat: Drawing Insights for Legal Theory and Economic Policy from Islamic Jurisprudence, 7 PITTSBURGH TAX REV. 43 (2010).
- Book Review: FAITH & LAW: HOW RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS FROM CALVINISM TO ISLAM VIEW AMERICAN LAW. Edited by Robert F. Cochran, Jr., THEOLOGICAL STUDIES (2009).
- Theology in Public Reason and Legal Discourse: A Case for the Preferential Option for the Poor, Washington and Lee Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice 15 wlj 327 (2009).
- Catharine MacKinnon May Not Be Enough: Legal Change and Religion in Catholic and Sunni Jurisprudence, 8 Geo. J. Gender & L. 1 (2007).
- The Enron Trial Drama: A New Case for Stakeholder Theory, 38 U. Tol. L. Rev. 1087 (2007).
- Toward Reconciliation in the Middle East: A Framework for Christian-Muslim Dialogue Using Natural Law Tradition, 2 Loy. Int'l L. Rev. 1 (2005).
- Beyond Lane: Who is Protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act, Who Should Be?, 82 Denv. U.L. Rev. 25 (2004).
