Anthony Ghiotto
Teaching Associate Professor of Law
Director of the Kimball R. and Karen Gatsis Anderson Center for Advocacy and Professionalism
Lynn H. Murray Director of Trial Advocacy
he/him/his
Contact
Assistant:
Emily Holden
emholden@illinois.edu
(217) 265-9885
About
About
Tony Ghiotto is a Teaching Associate Professor of Law at the University of Illinois College of Law. He serves as the Lynn H. Murray Director of Advocacy and is the inaugural director of the Anderson Center for Advocacy and Professionalism. Professor Ghiotto teaches courses in foundational and advanced Trial Advocacy, Evidence, and Professional Responsibility. He also trains future lawyers in trial advocacy, appellate work, alternative dispute resolution, and professional ethics through innovative and nationally recognized advocacy programming. Outside of the classroom, he regularly writes and comments nationally on national security matters, civilian-military relations, and advocacy pedagogy. His scholarship has appeared in the Harvard National Security Journal, the Buffalo Law Review, the Syracuse Law Review, and the New York University Journal of Legislation and Public Policy.
Before coming to Illinois, Professor Ghiotto taught criminal law and procedure, national security law, and trial advocacy at Campbell University School of Law. The Campbell students selected Professor Ghiotto as “Professor of the Year” in academic years 2019-2020 and 2020-2021.
Prior to joining academia, he spent nearly 12 yeas as an active-duty judge advocate in the United States Air Force. During his time on active duty, he served as a chief of military justice, a military prosecutor, an Air Staff counsel at the Military Justice headquarters division, a deputy staff judge advocate, and as a staff judge advocate. Additionally, he deployed to Parwan Province, Afghanistan, where he represented the United States in over 100 detainee review board hearings and also performed special duties at the Office of the Secretary of Defense in the Secretary’s investigation of civilian causalities in Iraq and Afghanistan caused by American service members. Professor Ghiotto graduated with Academic Distinction from the Air Force’s prestigious Air Command and Staff College, where he received his master’s in military operations and science.
Professor Ghiotto continued to serve after joining academia. He served as a deputy staff advocate in the Georgia Air National Guard and as both a staff judge advocate and as a military appellate defense counsel in the United States Air Force Reserves. He retired from the Air Force following his promotion to Colonel. Professor Ghiotto remains a fellow with the National Institute of Military Justice.
Professor Ghiotto is a first-generation college graduate. He is proudly from Chicago’s south suburbs and earned his BA in history and political science, with Highest Distinction and cum laude, from the University of Illinois. He received his Juris Doctor from Emory University School of Law, where he was a member of the Moot Court Society.
Education
JD Emory University School of Law
MMOAS U.S. Air Force Air Command and Staff College
BA University of Illinois
Courses
Courses
Trial Advocacy & Trial Team
News
- Wexler and Ghiotto pen two-part series on military lawyers in civilian law (Justia Verdict, September 10, 2025)
- Wexler and Ghiotto publish new article on the transgender military ban (Justia Verdict, April 7, 2025)
- Ghiotto and Wexler examine the executive order on transgender military members (Justia Verdict, March 13, 2025)