Stephen M. Sheppard (born 1963[1]) is an American professor of law, legal historian, and editor.
His work in the law has been cited by courts including the Utah Supreme Court, (in State v. Reyes, 116 P.3d 305 (2005)) which changed the burden of proof for felonies in Utah citing Sheppard's law review article, "The Metamorphoses of Reasonable Doubt: How Changes in the Burden of Proof Have Weakened the Presumption of Innocence".
[2] Dr. Sheppard is credited as the General Editor[3] of a revised edition of the American legal dictionary by John Bouvier, The Wolters Kluwer Bouvier Law Dictionary.
[4] As an editor, he has prepared new editions of several law books, including the Opera Omnia of John Selden, Bramble Bush by Karl Llewellyn, and Introduction to the Legal System of the United States by E. Allan Farnsworth.
On April 12, 2023, Texas Rangers and University police searched Sheppard's office on the campus of St. Mary's University School of Law for evidence in the sexual assault case filed by a student against Sheppard.