John Burris

John Burris

John Leonard Burris (born May 8, 1945) is an American civil rights attorney, based in Oakland, California, known for his work in police brutality cases representing plaintiffs.

He briefly represented Rodney King in his suit against the Los Angeles Police Department and is most recently noted for filing a civil suit over the BART Police shooting of Oscar Grant. Burris also represented controversial basketball star Latrell Sprewell. Burris has appeared as a legal commentator on MSNBC, CNN, and other cable and local television networks.

Burris received his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Boalt Hall (UC Berkeley School of Law) in 1973, worked for Chicago law firm Jenner & Block out of law school, and became a member of the California bar in 1976. Burris's work in police brutality cases began in 1979 when he was an investigator in the district attorney's office working on the case of the killing of 14-year-old Melvin Black. Burris's 1999 book, Blue vs. Black, is about the problem of police brutality against African-Americans.

Burris is married to Cheryl Amana, a law professor at North Carolina Central University.