Top Criminal Lawyer: How Much Freedom Should We Sacrifice for Safety?

In today’s episode, famed legal scholar and defense attorney Alan Dershowitz joins us for a wide-ranging conversation on justice, national security, and the moral complexity of defending the unpopular.

Dershowitz discusses his book The Preventive State and the growing tension between liberty and safety in the face of modern threats like terrorism, pandemics, and political extremism. “The hardest questions are not about guilt or innocence,” he says, “but about prevention versus freedom.”

He also speaks candidly about the fallout at Harvard over free speech and antisemitism, reflecting on how the university where he taught for 50 years has changed—and what it means for academic freedom.

Drawing from his decades of experience, Dershowitz revisits some of his most famous and controversial cases, including O.J. Simpson, Mike Tyson, and Anatoly Sharansky, and explains why defending the guilty is sometimes necessary to protect the innocent.

This episode is a rare look into the legal, ethical, and cultural battles shaping America’s future—from one of the most enduring voices in constitutional law.

Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.