ACADEMIC FOCUS

• Area of Specialization: Social/Political Philosophy, Legal Philosophy, Ethics

• Areas of Competence: Twentieth-Century Analytic, Early Modern Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy

EDUCATION

• Ph.D., Philosophy, University of Western Ontario, 2003

• M.A., Philosophy, Dalhousie University, 1996

• B.A. (Honours), Philosophy, University of Manitoba, 1995

ACADEMIC POSITIONS

• Associate Professor of Philosophy (tenured), University of Akron, 2013–present

• Affiliated Research Scholar, University of Akron School of Law, 2023–25

• Assistant Professor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2007–2013

RESEARCH ACTIVITIES/PUBLICATIONS

Books:

• Hreno, Travis. Jury Nullification: The Jurisprudence of Jurors' Privilege. Cambridge: Ethics International Press, 2024.

  • [reviewed in]: Paschal, Joshua. “Review of Jury Nullification: The Jurisprudence of Jurors’ Privilege by Travis Hreno.” Canadian Journal of Law & Jurisprudence, 2024, 1–5.

Book Chapters:

• “Jury Nullification and Participatory Democracy,” in Political Participation: Citizen Input in Government, James Cockerham, ed., Vernon Press (forthcoming early 2026).

Journal Articles:

• Hreno, Travis. “A Kantian Defense of Jury Nullification within the Rule of Law,” (forthcoming).

• Hreno, Travis. “Jury Nullification, Verdictal Asymmetry, and the Ultimate Logic of Anarchy,” Philosopher’s Compass 1(1), 2025.

• Hreno, Travis. “Jury Nullification and the Bad-Faith Juror,” Leap: The Journal of Legal Ethics and Philosophy 1(1), 2013.

• Hreno, Travis. “The Jury Nullification Instruction and the De Jure/De Facto Debate: A Hohfeldian Analysis,” Public Affairs Quarterly 22(3): 231-251, 2008.

• Hreno, Travis. “The Rule of Law and Jury Nullification,” Commonwealth Law Bulletin 34(2), 2008.

• Hreno, Travis. “Necessity and Jury Nullification,” Canadian Journal of Law and Jurisprudence 20(2): 351-378, 2007.

Book Reviews:

• Review: Legal Reasoning by Melvin Eisenberg (author), Philosophy in Review Vol. 45, no. 1 (February 2025).

• Review: Pre-Liberal Political Philosophy: Rawls and Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, by Daniel Dombrowski (author), Philosophy in Review Vol. 44 no. 1 (February 2024).

• Review: The Will to Punish, by Didier Fassin (author), Metapsychology Online Reviews, Vol. 24, No. 20 (May 2020).

• Review: Law and Religion in the 21st Century: Relations between States and Religious Communities, by Rinaldo Cristofori (Editor), Silvio Ferrari (Editor), The Commonwealth Law Bulletin, vol. 38, no. 4 (December 2012).

• Review: Truth and Progress, by Richard Rorty (author), Philosophy in Review Vol. 19 no. 4 (August 1999).

• Review: On the Laws and Governance of England, by Sir John Fortescue (author), Philosophy in Review, Vol. 19, No.1 (February 1999).

• Review: Ethical Issues: Perspectives for Canadians, by Eldon Soifer (author), Philosophy in Review, vol. 17, no. 3 (1997).

Conferences/Invited Lectures

• “Jury Nullification and the Rule of Law,” Illinois Philosophical Association, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, October 26, 2024.

• “Invited Author Series Presentation,” Case Western Reserve University Law School Faculty Research Group, Cleveland, OH, April 4, 2024.

• “The Ethics and Jurisprudence of Jury Lawlessness,” University of Akron Law School Faculty Research and Development Workshop, University of Akron, Akron, OH, March 5, 2024.

• “Fostering Inclusive Teaching through Engaging Student Connections: A Case Study on Philosophy, Thought Experiments, and Experiential Learning,” NEXT – New Explorations in Teaching, University of Akron, Akron, OH, October 6, 2023.

• “More Thoughts on ‘Political Liberty and Jury Nullification,’” Ohio Philosophy Association Annual Conference, College of Wooster, Wooster, OH, April 29, 2023.

• “Political Liberty and Jury Nullification,” South Carolina Society for Philosophy Annual Conference, University of South Carolina, Beaufort, SC, March 31, 2023.

• “Objections to Jury Nullification Considered,” University of Akron Law School Faculty Research and Development Workshop, University of Akron, Akron, OH, February 12, 2020.

• “The Liberty Enhancing Effects of Jury Nullification,” Mid-South Philosophy Conference, Rhodes College, Memphis, TN, March 23, 2019.

• “Individual Liberty and the Rule of Law,” Long Island Philosophical Society, St. John’s University, New York, NY, April 18, 2015.

• “The Rule of Law and Moral Autonomy,” Hanover College, Indiana, Invited Speaker Series, November 5, 2013.

• “The Political Appropriation of Music,” Post 45 Annual Conference, Cleveland, OH, April 30, 2011.

• “Judicial Candor and Jury Nullification,” Congress of the International Association for Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy (IVR), Montreal, Canada, May 29, 2010.

• “Legal Causation and Sine Qua Non,” University of Akron Philosophy Club, invited presentation, November 2009.

• “Liberty, Autonomy, and the Rule of Law,” University of Akron, Conference of Philosophy, January 2008.

• “The Ethics of Autonomy,” University of Victoria, Department of Philosophy, Invited Speaker Program, March 2006.

• “Jury Nullification: Right or Privilege?” University of Lethbridge, Invited Speaker Series, February 2003.

• “The Privilege of Moral Conscience,” University of Calgary, Philosophy Department, Invited Speaker Series, October 2002.

• “Jury Nullification: The Jurisprudence of a Jurors’ Privilege,” Canadian Philosophical Association, Toronto, Ontario, May 2002. Winner: Dialogue Student Essay Prize for best graduate-student presentation.

AWARDS and SCHOLARSHIPS

• Recipient of Celebration of Teaching, Learning, and Assessment award, 2022, 2023, 2024.

• Appointed as a University of Akron Emerging ACE Scholar (Akron Community Engaged Scholar), 2024, 2025.

• Dialogue Student Essay Prize, for best graduate-student presentation, awarded at the Canadian Philosophical Association, 2002.

• Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Doctoral Fellowship: 1998 – 2000.

• University of Western Ontario Special University Scholarship: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000.

• Paul David Russell Gold Medal in Philosophy, University of Manitoba: 1995.