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Stephen L. Carter (born October 26, 1954) is an American law professor, legal- and social-policy writer, columnist, and best-selling novelist. He is currently the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Law at Yale Law School, where he has taught since 1982. At Yale he teaches courses on contracts, professional responsibility, ethics in literature, intellectual property, and the law and ethics of war. His non-fiction books have received praise from voices across the political spectrum, from Marion Wright Edelman to John Joseph O'Connor. Carter's first novel, The Emperor of Ocean Park, spent 11 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list in 2002. His fourth novel, Jericho's Fall, was published in July of 2009.

Carter earned his B.A. in history from Stanford University in 1976. At Stanford he served as managing editor for The Stanford Daily. Carter received a J.D. from Yale Law School in 1979. At Yale, he won the prize for best oralist in the Thurmond Arnold Moot Court Competition and served as a Note Editor on the Yale Law Journal. Following graduation from Yale, Carter served as a law clerk for Judge Spottswood W. Robinson III of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and, subsequently, for US Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.

Carter was raised in Harlem, in Washington, D.C., and in Ithaca, New York. He graduated from Ithaca High School in 1972, and his essay "The Best Black" is based in part on his experiences there. At Ithaca High School, he was the editor-in-chief of The Tattler and pushed hard for student representation on the local school board Carter has received eight honorary degrees, from schools including Colgate University, Bates College, and the University of Notre Dame.

He and his wife, Enola Aird, have two children, and currently reside in Connecticut.

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