Faculty

Edson Bostic, J.D.
Professor of Legal Practice

Edson Bostic is a seasoned litigator with many years of criminal and civil litigation experience. He has dedicated himself to zealously representing individuals charged with federal criminal offenses over the last 25 years. He is the former Chief Federal Defender for the U.S. District of Delaware (2006 to 2021) and the U.S. District of the United States Virgin Islands (2012-2014).

As Chief Defender, Bostic oversaw the ligation of thousands of criminal cases during the trial, appellate, and habeas stages. He has defended complex and high-profile criminal cases, including the 2022 trial of a client charged with offenses stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection and the nation’s first federal cyberstalking resulting in a death trial.

He has tried over 35 jury and hundreds of non-jury cases, ranging from complex white-collar criminal cases to drug, RICO, and bribery matters. Prior, Bostic served for over a decade as a Senior Assistant Federal Defender with the Community Federal Defender Association of Philadelphia, including several years as the Managing Attorney for the Allentown Branch.

Early in his career, he was a staff attorney at the Defender Association of Philadelphia and the Broome County, New York Public Defender’s Office. Bostic was also a senior associate at Cozen O’Connor, representing several Fortune 500 companies and other entities in complex civil matters. Bostic has chaired and served as a member of Merit Selection Committees for the Appointment/Retention of Magistrate Judges in the District of Delaware and on the Merit Selection Committee for the Selection of Federal Defender for the District of the United States Virgin Islands.

He served on the 2021 Judicial Nominating Commission to fill a judicial vacancy for the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware. Bostic has also served as an adjunct professor and lecturer, teaching trial advocacy at Temple University, Rutgers-Camden, and Widener Law Schools. He has been a lecturer and presenter for the National Institute of Trial Attorneys (NITA). Also, Bostic has presented lectures and continuing legal education programs on various criminal law topics.

 On Feb. 19, 2014, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, sitting en banc (on the bench), honored Bostic for his service, contributions, and dedication to the zealous representation of indigent defendants charged with federal crimes and his contribution to the administration of justice in the Circuit. He is a Rutgers University School of Law – Camden graduate and a member of the Pennsylvania and New York bars.

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