Garrett Epps (born 1950 in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

) is an American legal scholar, novelist, and journalist. He was professor of law at the

University of Baltimore The University of Baltimore (UBalt, UB) is a public university in Baltimore, Maryland. It is part of the University System of Maryland. UBalt's schools and colleges provide education in business, law, public affairs, and the applied arts and sc ...

until his retirement in June 2020; previously he was the Orlando J. and Marian H. Hollis Professor of Law at the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc Nike, Inc. ( or ) is a ...

Biography

Epps attended St. Christopher's School and

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher ...

, where he was president of ''

The Harvard Crimson ''The Harvard Crimson'' is the student newspaper of Harvard University and was founded in 1873. Run entirely by Harvard College undergraduates, it served for many years as the only daily newspaper in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Beginning in the f ...

''. He later received an M.A. degree in Creative Writing from

Hollins University Hollins University is a private university in Hollins, Virginia. Founded in 1842 as Valley Union Seminary in the historical settlement of Botetourt Springs, it is one of the oldest institutions of higher education for women in the United States ...

, and a J.D. degree from

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist Jam ...

, where he was first in his class. After graduation from Harvard, he was a cofounder of ''The Richmond Mercury'', a short-lived alternative weekly whose alumni include

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made ...

-winning journalists

Frank Rich Frank Hart Rich Jr. (born 1949) is an American essayist and liberal op-ed columnist, who held various positions within ''The New York Times'' from 1980 to 2011. He has also produced television series and documentaries for HBO. Rich is curren ...

and Glenn Frankel. He also worked as an editor or reporter for The ''Richmond Afro-American'', ''The Virginia Churchman'', ''

The Free-Lance Star ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'', and ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

''. From 1983 until 1988, he was a columnist for

Independent Weekly ''Indy Week'', formerly known as the ''Independent Weekly'' and originally the ''North Carolina Independent'', is a tabloid-format alternative weekly newspaper published in Durham, North Carolina, United States, and distributed throughout the Res ...

(then a bi-weekly). Immediately before moving to the University of Oregon, he spent a year clerking for Judge John D. Butzner of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (in case citations, 4th Cir.) is a federal court located in Richmond, Virginia, with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: * District of Maryland ...

. Epps has written two novels, including ''

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'', which won the Lillian Smith Book Award, as well as the nonfiction books '' To An Unknown God: Religious Freedom on Trial'', which was published in 2001 and was a finalist for the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of aca ...

's Silver Gavel Award, and '' Democracy Reborn: The Fourteenth Amendment and the Fight for Civil Rights in Post-Civil War America'', which was published in 2006. ''Democracy Reborn'' won the 2007

Oregon Book Award The Oregon Book Awards are presented annually by Literary Arts to honor the "state’s finest accomplishments by Oregon writers who work in genres of poetry, fiction, graphic literature, drama, literary nonfiction, and literature for young readers. ...

for non-fiction, and was a finalist for the ABA Silver Gavel Award. He has also written numerous articles and editorials in newspapers including the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', ''

'', and ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

''. In his article "The Founders' Great Mistake", he urged America to amend its Constitution to more closely resemble a parliamentary system.

Books

*''

'' (1977) *'' The Floating Island: A Tale of Washington'' (1985) *'' To An Unknown God: Religious Freedom on Trial'' (2001) *'' Democracy Reborn: The Fourteenth Amendment and the Fight for Civil Rights in Post-Civil War America'' (2006) *'' Peyote vs the State: Religious Freedom on Trial'' (2009) *'' Wrong and Dangerous: Ten Right-Wing Myths About Our Constitution'' (2012) *American Epic: Reading the U.S. Constitution (2013)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Epps, Garrett 1950 births 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American legal scholars American legal writers American male novelists Duke University School of Law alumni Harvard College alumni Hollins University alumni Living people Lawyers from Richmond, Virginia The Harvard Crimson people University of Baltimore faculty University of Oregon faculty Writers from Richmond, Virginia Journalists from Virginia 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers Novelists from Virginia Novelists from Maryland Novelists from Oregon 20th-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers American male non-fiction writers