John D. Hutson, Rear Admiral, JAGC, USN (Ret.)

Guest Author

RADM Hutson’s numerous military duty assignments include court-martial prosecution and defense; Staff Judge Advocate; teaching law at the Naval Justice School in Newport, RI; and Judge Advocate General of the Navy. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit (with three gold stars), Meritorious Service Medal (with two gold stars), Navy Commendation Medal and the Navy Achievement Medal as well as other awards.

Upon retirement from the Navy, RADM Hutson was appointed as Dean and President of the Franklin Pierce Law Center, which became the University of New Hampshire School of Law in Concord, NH.

Dean Hutson is a noted commentator on matters of national interest relating to the military, human rights, and the rule of law.  He has authored numerous opinion pieces appearing in the National Law Journal and elsewhere.  He has been a frequent guest on National Public Radio and has appeared on national television broadcasts including NBC Nightly News, the Newshour with Jim Lehrer, Nightline with Ted Koppel, CNN, CNN International, C-Span, BBC, 60 Minutes, ABC World News, ABC Special, 20-20, PBS, Hardball with Chris Mathews, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, and Bill O’Reilly among many others. He appeared in the award winning documentaries Ghosts of Abu Ghraib and Taxi to the Dark Side. His comments have appeared in scores of newspapers including the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Christian Science Monitor, and the Wall Street Journal.

He served on the Board of Directors of Human Rights First, where he was the founding member of a group of retired admirals and generals who focus on military issues.  He also served on the Board of the National Institute of Military Justice and as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Concord, NH Chamber of Commerce.