![John O](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/John_O._McGinnis.png)
John Oldham McGinnis is a
professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...
at
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law is the law school of Northwestern University, a private research university. It is located on the university's Chicago campus. Northwestern Law has been ranked among the top 14, or "T14" law scho ...
and author of over 90 academic and popular articles and essays. His popular writings have been published in ''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'', ''
National Review
''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by the author William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief ...
'', and ''
Policy Review
''Policy Review'' was a conservative journal published between 1977 to 2013.
It was founded by The Heritage Foundation and was for many years the foundation's flagship publication.Gillian Peele, 'American Conservatism in Historical Perspective', i ...
''.
McGinnis teaches and writes on constitutional and international law. In constitutional law, he has focused especially on majority and supermajority rules. In international law, he has focused on the question of the proper role of international law in United States law.
McGinnis graduated from the
Phillips Exeter Academy in 1975, and earned a
B.A.
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...
from
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
in 1978, an
M.A.
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
from
Balliol College
Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the ...
,
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...
in 1980, and a
J.D. ''magna
cum laude'' from Harvard in 1983. In 1997 he received the
Paul M. Bator Award, which is awarded annually by the Federalist Society to an "outstanding legal scholar" under forty. McGinnis worked in the Office of Legal Counsel, Department of Justice from 1985 to 1991. He has given 10 testimonies before congress. McGinnis was also a litigation associate at the prestigious
Sullivan & Cromwell, and a clerk on the
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia
The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (in case citations, D.C. Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. It has the smallest geographical jurisdiction of any of the U.S. federal appellate co ...
.
McGinnis's government posts are currently as a member of the National Advisory Committee for the
North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation, and as a roster member of the United States Panelists for Resolution of
World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation
in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and ...
Disputes. He is a member of the conservative
Federalist Society
The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies (abbreviated as FedSoc) is an American conservative and libertarian legal organization that advocates for a textualist and originalist interpretation of the U.S. Constitution. Headquarter ...
.
Selected research
McGinnis is a co-author of a law review article stating that the majority of law school faculty members donate more to Democrats than to Republicans.
[Bluebook Citation: 93 Geo. L.J. 1167] He uses this to attack the "viewpoint diversity" justification that the U.S. Supreme Court used to permit law schools to give racial minorities an advantage in their admissions processes. His argument is that law schools are not, and probably should not be, committed to political viewpoint diversity in the hiring process (implying that they should not use
affirmative action-like techniques in recruiting and admitting students).
McGinnis has published several books. In ''Accelerating Democracy: Transforming Governance Through Technology'' (Princeton University Press, 2013) he argues that rapidly changing information technology can improve policy. In ''Originalism and the Good Constitution'' (Harvard University Press, 2013) he and Mike Rappaport contend that interpreting the Constitution according to its original meaning continues to have beneficial consequences today.
Selected bibliography
"The Origin of Conservatism:Evolutionary theories suggest that conservative politics are necessary to govern a fallen man," ''National Review'', December 22, 1997. (Cover story)
"The descent of man:can conservative concepts be derived from evolution? Critics respond to John O. McGinnis," ''National Review'', December 22, 1997. Includes McGinnis' reply.
*''The World Trade Constitution'' (with Mark Movsesian, volume published in Chinese) The People's Press (2004)
* "The World Trade Organization as a Structure of Liberty" in Harvard Journal of Public Law and Policy, 2004
References
External links
Faculty page*
{{DEFAULTSORT:McGinnis, John
American non-fiction writers
American legal scholars
Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford
Harvard Law School alumni
Phillips Exeter Academy alumni
Living people
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law faculty
American scholars of constitutional law
Sullivan & Cromwell associates
Year of birth missing (living people)
Federalist Society members