Nikolas Bowie

Nikolas Bowie is the Louis D. Brandeis Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, specializing in constitutional law and legal history. He holds a BA in History from Yale University (2009), and a JD and PhD in History from Harvard University (2014 and 2018 respectively). His research focuses on the historical and contemporary dynamics of democratic governance, judicial power, and constitutional structures.

He teaches courses in federal constitutional law, state constitutional law, and local government law. His scholarship critiques the Supreme Court’s expansive interpretation of judicial power and its implications for separation of powers. Notable works include analyses of the 'separation-of-powers counterrevolution' and the historical lack of constitutional basis for federal immigration power.

Bowie actively engages in civil rights advocacy through roles at Lawyers for Civil Rights and the People’s Parity Project. He has clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Sixth Circuit Judge Jeffrey Sutton. His recent publications in top journals like the Yale Law Journal and Michigan Law Review address urgent legal and political questions.

He received the 2021 Sacks-Freund Award for Teaching Excellence and contributes op-eds to mainstream media like the New York Times. Beyond academia, Bowie is an avid marathoner and advocates for systemic legal reforms to enhance democratic accountability.