Catherine Crump is the Robert Glushko Clinical Professor of Practice in Technology Law at UC Berkeley School of Law and Director of the Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic. A leading expert on the intersection of civil liberties and emerging technologies, she has written and litigated extensively on government surveillance, privacy, and criminal justice reform. She also serves as faculty Co-Director of the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology.
Professor Crump previously served as a Senior Policy Advisor for Criminal Justice to the White House Domestic Policy Council, where she helped lead the implementation of key federal initiatives on policing and public safety. Earlier in her career, she was a staff attorney at the ACLU, where she litigated landmark cases on electronic surveillance and testified before Congress, the European Parliament, and multiple state legislatures.
Her scholarly work has appeared in flagship law reviews, and she is a frequent commentator in national media outlets, with her writing appearing in The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, and CNN. A TED Fellow and recipient of Stanford Law School’s Miles L. Rubin Public Interest Award, Professor Crump is widely recognized for her commitment to using law and technology to advance transparency, accountability, and justice.
Education
B.A., Stanford University (2000)
J.D., Stanford Law School (2004)
Catherine Crump is teaching the following courses in Spring 2025:
• 285.9 sec. 001 - Samuelson Clinic Seminar
• 295.5T sec. 001 - Samuelson Clinic
• 295.5U sec. 001 - Advanced Samuelson Clinic
Courses During Other Semesters
| Semester | Course Num | Course Title |  Teaching Evaluations | Fall 2025 | 285.9 sec. 001 | Samuelson Clinic Seminar | 285.9B sec. 001 | Advanced Samuelson Clinic Seminar | 295.5T sec. 001 | Samuelson Clinic | 295.5U sec. 001 | Advanced Samuelson Clinic | Fall 2024 | 285.9 sec. 001 | Samuelson Clinic Seminar | View Teaching Evaluation | 295.5T sec. 001 | Samuelson Clinic | View Teaching Evaluation | Spring 2024 | 285.9 sec. 001 | Samuelson Clinic Seminar | View Teaching Evaluation | 295.5T sec. 001 | Samuelson Clinic | View Teaching Evaluation | 295.5U sec. 001 | Advanced Samuelson Clinic | View Teaching Evaluation |
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Year in Review: The Stories That Made 2024 Memorable and Meaningful for UC Berkeley Law
From a Supreme Court justice’s visit and an innovative leadership initiative to impactful pro bono work and influential AI guidance, the school’s commitment to excellence, community, and public mission was on full display.
Olympics’ AI Security Stokes Backlash Over Mass Surveillance
Catherine Crump, director of University of California, Berkeley’s Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic weighs in on the controversy surrounding the Olympics’ AI security.
Greatest Hits: A Dozen Stories From 2023 That Reflect Berkeley Law’s Impact
From helping to write a tribe’s constitution to providing free training worldwide on digital investigations of human rights violations to propelling crypto industry reform, the school had quite a year.
An abused wife took on Tesla over tracking tech. She lost.
“Stalkers always find a way to use location data, making this problem “totally foreseeable,” said Catherine Crump, a Berkeley Law School professor specializing in privacy issues involving technology. “It is disappointing that a company as sophisticated and well-resourced as Tesla doesn’t have better answers to this,” said Crump, who is also a former adviser to the White House Domestic Policy Council.
Two Professors Start Tech-Related White House Appointments to Help Shape U.S. Policy
Privacy experts Catherine Crump and Rebecca Wexler take on key posts with the White House Domestic Policy Council and White House Office of Science Technology Policy, respectively.
Standing Firm: How Berkeley Law Faculty and Students are Stepping Up to Advance and Defend Basic Rights
With basic rights in peril at home and around the world, the law school community is answering the call.
Abortion Is Illegal for Millions. Will Big Tech Help Prosecute It?
“We live our lives online, we leave digital breadcrumbs of our prior activities, and of course those are going to be caught up in abortion investigations,” says Professor Catherine Crump, director of the Samuelson Law, Technology and Public Policy Clinic. Tech companies will almost certainly comply with state law and hand over information from legal court orders, but they should be transparent with their users and the public when they do and disclose how many abortion-related court orders they get, she adds.
Cellphone Data Collection, Tracking Apps Can Help States Prosecute Women Seeking Abortions
“If you have a period tracking app, you should delete it,” says Professor Catherine Crump, director of the Samuelson Law, Technology & Policy Clinic. “Tech companies like everyone else has to comply with law and they may not have a choice about what data they collect, what data they are forced to disclose. The law enforcement agency gets a warrant and serves it on Google and asks for location information and it’s a valid warrant. Google is going to have a hard time not complying with that.”
North Star: Student Calls for More Access to Surveillance Requests in Minnesota Federal Court
Samuelson Clinic student Jennifer Sun ’23 and supervising attorney Megan Graham argue for more public access to surveillance records requests in Minnesota federal court.
Immigrant groups sue ICE for information on alternative detention programs
Professor Catherine Crump, Director of the Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic, filed suit on behalf of a coalition of immigrant rights groups seeking information from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement about the agency’s Intensive Supervision Appearance Program, a so- called alternative to detention program that has ballooned during the Biden administration
How CNN, The New York Times and Other Major Media Outlets Monetize Your Data and Lobby Against Regulation
Professor Catherine Crump, Director of the Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic, notes the ACLU’s decision to use tracking technology was made by the ACLU’s fundraising and advocacy team, not its legal department, which often does not work in tandem
Agencies Seek Reversal in FOIA Suit Over Trump Administration Vetting at US Border
Professor Catherine Crump, Director of the Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic, arguing before the Second Circuit on behalf of the plaintiffs in Knight First Amendment Institute v. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, said that the Trump Administration’s alleged “ideological screening” of immigrants and refugees at the border included questions that were too widely asked and general
Teaching Tech: Berkeley Law Clinic Arms Public Defenders with Digital Tools
The Samuelson Clinic’s Megan Graham has trained more than 1,000 public defenders in three years on how to litigate cutting-edge technology issues.
Oakland police give FBI “unfettered access” to license plate reader data, according to lawsuit
Professor Catherine Crump, Director of the Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic, discusses a lawsuit filed by a member of the city’s privacy advisory commission accusing police of violating multiple city and state laws
From Harvard to Berkeley, Clinics Train Next-Gen Tech Lawyers
Professor Catherine Crump, Director of the Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic, discusses the clinic’s work and the beneficial experience of clinic work for students, whether their goals are to work in public interest or the private sector
Is there any way out of Clearview’s facial recognition database?
Professor Catherine Crump, Director of the Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic, says facial recognition technology and analytics generally have been revolutionary because they’ve put an end to privacy by obscurity
When It Comes To Email, Some Prisoners Say Attorney-Client Privilege Has Been Erased
Professor Catherine Crump, Director of the Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic, discusses the clinic’s work to stop the federal Bureau of Prisons from reading emails incarcerated persons send to their attorneys
Clinical Professor Jennifer Urban ’00 to Chair New California Privacy Protection Agency
A longtime leader in Berkeley Law’s tech-law clinic and center, Urban will help the innovative agency protect consumers’ privacy rights over their personal information.
As a New Administration Dawns, Berkeley Law Professors Propose How to Tame Privacy Inequalities
Professors Catherine Crump and Rebecca Wexler translate some of their scholarly work on electronic evidence and surveillance technology into policy guides.
Response To Capitol Riot Could Hurt Minorities, Civil Libertarians Say
Professor Catherine Crump, Director of the Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic, says law enforcement should not use facial recognition technology widely until racial disparities are fixed