Author

John E. Finn

John E. Finn

John E. Finn is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Government at Wesleyan University, where he taught courses in constitutional theory and public law. Finn is also the author of three other books on constitutional theory and law: Peopling the Constitution (2014), American Constitutional Law: Essays, Cases, and Comparative Notes 4th ed. (with Donald P. Kommers, Gary J. Jacobsohn, George Thomas, and Justin Dyer, 2018), and Constitutions in Crisis: Political Violence and the Rule of Law (1991). Finn has also published in several law reviews, including the Columbia Journal of Transnational Law, Constitutional Commentary, New York University Journal of Law and International Politics, and Georgetown Law Journal. His latest book is Fracturing the Founding: How the Alt-Right Corrupts the Constitution.

COMMENTARY

Trump’s acquittal is a sign of ‘constitutional rot’ – partisanship overriding principles

By: - February 16, 2021

The Senate’s decision to acquit former President Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial may have been a victory for Trump, but it is a clear sign that democracy in the U.S. is in poor health. As a constitutional scholar, I believe the United States – the world’s first constitutional democracy – is in a […]

COMMENTARY

Plot to kidnap Michigan gov grew from the militia movement’s toxic mix of constitutional falsehoods and half-truths

By: - October 14, 2020

The U.S. militia movement has long been steeped in a peculiar – and unquestionably mistaken – interpretation of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and civil liberties. This is true of an armed militia group that calls itself the Wolverine Watchmen, who were involved in the recently revealed plot to overthrow Michigan’s government and kidnap […]