Our Keynote speaker, Garrett Epps, has taught Constitutional Law for 16 years, returning this fall to UO. He is the Washington Monthly Legal Affairs Editor, after 10 years as The Atlantic Supreme Court Correspondent, analyzing SCOTUS evolving jurisprudence and constitutional issues. He has also taught constitutional law at American University, the University of Baltimore, Boston College and Duke.

He’s written for prominent law journals and numerous books, including:

· American Justice 2014: Nine Clashing Visions on the Supreme Court, U Penn Press.
"Epps's deep insight and engaging style create a captivating narrative of the personalities behind the Supreme Court's decisions even for those who are already familiar with the 2013 Term.” –Harvard Law Review

· American Epic: Reading the U.S. Constitution, 2013, Oxford U Press
“In 1987, E.L. Doctorow celebrated the Constitution's bicentennial by reading it. "It is five thousand words long but reads like fifty thousand," he said. Distinguished legal scholar Garrett Epps--himself an award-winning novelist--disagrees. It's about 7,500 words. And Doctorow "missed a good deal of high rhetoric, many literary tropes, and even a trace of, if not wit, at least irony," he writes. Americans may venerate the Constitution, "but all too seldom is it read." –Google books
 
Garrett Epps received his LLM and JD from Duke University, an MA from Hollins College, and BA from Harvard.

He attended the Oct 2, 2021 Women’s March in DC. 

“Are you concerned about the rancor and polarization threatening our democracy? Do you hunger for our public life to be more grounded in understanding and respect? If so, please join us in this session around constructive conversation with those who have a different perspective to find common ground and bridge our differences. Learn how empathy, listening for understanding, and humility can open the door to meaningful connection and overcome divisions.” –Garrett Epps

Garrett Epps