Melanie Wilson Publishes Major Works on Criminal Procedure The books include a criminal procedure casebook coauthored by W&L law professor Alex Klein.

By Law Communications
June 23, 2026

 

Melanie Wilson, dean and Roy L. Steinheimer, Jr., Professor of Law at Washington and Lee University School of Law, has published two major works on criminal procedure this academic year, including the latest edition of a leading casebook and a new edition of a widely used law student study aid.

The tenth edition of her casebook, “Criminal Procedure,” was released in the fall of 2025. With this edition, Dean Wilson took over as lead author from her mentor Paul Marcus, Haynes Professor of Law, Emeritus, at William & Mary. Alex Klein, associate professor of law at W&L, joined Dean Wilson as coauthor with this release.

The new edition of Criminal Procedure focuses on the Fourth Amendment search and seizure provision, the Fifth Amendment protection against unlawful confessions, the Sixth Amendment right to counsel, and more. It effectively covers all of the foundational constitutional criminal procedure concepts and recent U.S. Supreme Court cases, including those analyzing Miranda’s constitutional status and searches of smart phones and historical cell phone records, as well as the use of canine officers to conduct searches.

In addition, the book includes a number of notes, questions, and problems exploring state and lower federal court cases interpreting Supreme Court precedent to address existing and developing criminal procedure issues. It also provides several forms and examples to help students fully appreciate and analyze key principles of constitutional criminal procedure.

This spring, Dean Wilson also published a study aid “Criminal Procedure” through the Gilbert Law Summaries series, a popular collection of guides that help law students understand and review a specific area of law. Paul Marcus and Joëlle Anne Moreno, professor of law at Florida International University, are coauthors on the supplement, now in its 21st edition.

The new edition covers the full range of criminal procedure topics, from searches and seizures and Miranda rights to guilty pleas, sentencing, double jeopardy, juvenile justice, and appellate review. It also includes visual aids, practice questions, and sample answers designed to help students prepare for law school exams.

Dean Wilson’s scholarship focuses on criminal procedure, particularly the Fourth Amendment, the Sixth Amendment, and prosecutorial decision-making. She has published extensively in leading law journals, including the Iowa Law Review, Utah Law Review, Hastings Law Journal, and Northwestern University Law Review Online, among others. Dean Wilson is a past president of the Association of American Law Schools.

If you know a W&L faculty member who has done great, accolade-worthy things, tell us about them! Nominate them for an accolade.