John David Bessler (born October 23, 1967) is an American attorney and academic.

In addition, Bessler clerked for U.S. Magistrate Judge John M. Mason of the District of Minnesota and practiced law as a partner at Kelly & Berens, P.A.

Bessler currently is a tenured associate professor at the University of Baltimore School of Law, where he teaches civil procedure, contracts, capital punishment, international human rights law, and lawyering skills.

His most recent book is The Birth of American Law: An Italian Philosopher and the American Revolution (Carolina Academic Press, 2014), which discusses the influence of the Italian jurist and philosopher Cesare Beccaria on the founders of the United States.

Bessler also has contributed to one event, a teleforum entitled "Execution Methods and Deciding Implementation of the Death Penalty," held by The Federalist Society, a conservative and libertarian organization.