  peter h. irons (born 1940) is an american political activist, civil rights attorney, legal scholar, and professor emeritus of political science. he has written many books on the u.s. supreme court and constitutional litigation. ==education== irons graduated from antioch college (an early incubator of progressive politics). he embarked on his current path in 1963 when he was sentenced to three years imprisonment at the federal correctional institution in danbury, connecticut for refusing military induction on the ground that the federal government perpetuated racial discrimination. while serving most of that sentence, he began corresponding with howard zinn, who sent him books on civil liberties and american politics. his conviction was ultimately reversed by a federal judge on the ground of prosecutorial misconduct. later, president gerald ford granted him a pardon for refusing induction. ==career== irons completed a doctorate at boston university in 1973.  afterwards, zinn helped arrange for him to work at a law firm defending daniel ellsberg, who was under federal prosecution at the time for stealing the pentagon papers. his work at the law firm would later serve as motivation for him to pursue a law degree from harvard law school, which he received in 1978. upon graduating, he taught at boston college law school and the university of massachusetts before moving to the university of california at san diego. there in 1982 he established the earl warren bill of rights project, of which he is the director. he was chosen in 1988 as the first raoul wallenberg distinguished visiting professor of human rights at rutgers university.  he has lectured on constitutional law and civil liberties at the law schools of harvard, yale, berkeley, stanford, and more than 20 other schools. he was also elected to two terms on the national board of the american civil liberties union. in addition to teaching and authoring several books, he has also helped reopen the wartime internment cases of fred korematsu, [[
1940s_births American_anti-war_activists American_civil_rights_activists American_historians American_legal_scholars American_legal_writers American_political_scientists American_political_writers Antioch_College_alumni Boston_University_alumni Harvard_Law_School_alumni Historians_of_the_United_States Japanese_American_internment Living_people University_of_California,_San_Diego_faculty University_of_Massachusetts_Amherst_faculty