Dr. Gary L. McDowell is a leading constitutional scholar who joined the Jepson faculty in 2003 after a distinguished career in public life and the academy.

Prior to coming to the Jepson School, McDowell directed the Institute of United States Studies and taught American studies at the University of London. He also served as a member of the United States-United Kingdom Educational Commission (The Fulbright Commission). Prior to his work in London, he directed the Office of the Bicentennial of the Constitution at the National Endowment for the Humanities, served as chief speechwriter for Attorney General Edwin Meese, and held various positions at Tulane, Harvard, Harvard Law School, and Dickinson.

He was a fellow of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars at the Smithsonian Institution and Bradley Resident Scholar at the Center for Judicial Studies in Washington, D.C.

He is the author or editor of 11 books on subjects ranging from privacy to juvenile delinquency, politics, judicial power, and the Constitution. His newest book, published by Cambridge University Press, is The Language of Law and the Foundations of American Constitutionalism.

He has appeared on NBC's "Today Show," CBS's "Nightwatch," ABC's "Nightline," BBC, and C-SPAN, and was a commentator on the PBS special reports "The Kennedy Confirmation Hearings" and "The Bork Confirmation Hearings."

McDowell frequently lectures and participates in public events. He is co-director of the John Marshall International Center for the Study of Statesmanship in the Jepson School. He recently served as a discussant and moderator for a half-day session on the hot-button topic of federal judicial selection sponsored by the Richmond Law School and the Jepson School.