Ajay Bhatt Adjunct Professorial Lecturer Justice, Law & Criminology
- Bio
-
Ajay Bhatt is a Senior Attorney with the Human Rights Law Division, part of the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Previously, from 2001-2005, Bhatt served at the U.S. Department of State (DOS), where he worked for the Office of Inspector General's Office of Counsel and later for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. At DOS, Bhatt served on domestic and international delegations to the United Nations and to the Organization of American States.He also served on detail to the Office of General Counsel at the U.S. Agency for International Development.
After receiving a dual B.A. in Journalism and Literature from Syracuse University, Bhatt earned an M.A. in the Humanities from the University of Chicago. He received a J.D. from the University of Oregon, where he was a staff editor on The Oregon Law Review. Bhatt entered federal service as a Presidential Management Fellow (PMF) in 2001. In 2023, the Office of Personnel Management recognized Bhatt as "Hiring Manager of the Year" for the PMF Program.
Bhatt is licensed to practice law in Washington State and Maryland and for the Federal Government. In 2025, Bhatt was sworn in for attorney membership by the Supreme Court of the United States.
Both in 2010 and 2018, Bhatt received awards for Excellence in Law Enforcement from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In 2016, Bhatt was named a Finalist in the Partnership for Public Service’s category of “Safety, Security, and National Affairs.” In 2017, Bhatt was the recipient of the DHS Office of General Counsel's Excellence Award. In 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice named Bhatt as a co-recipient of the Attorney General's Award for "Distinguished Work in Investigation and Extradition of a Former Nazi Concentration Camp Guard."
- For the Media
- To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request. Explore all AU Faculty Experts in our media guide.
Teaching
Spring 2025
-
JLC-479 Prosecution of Terrorism
Fall 2025
-
JLC-478 Investigating Terrorism
-
JLC-682 Crime and Conflict Nexus