Robinson Woodward-Burns

Robinson Woodward-Burns researches American constitutional thought and development, focusing on civil and voting rights, federalism, and slavery and abolitionism. His first book, Hidden Laws: How State Constitutions Stabilize American Politics, was published in 2021 by Yale University Press. Using datasets and historical case studies, the book argues that high barriers to national constitutional change have encouraged reformers to instead seek state constitutional revision, addressing national controversies over economic and labor regulations and voting, civil, and gender rights. Woodward-Burns is writing a second book on state constitutionalism and voting rights. He recently held a Kluge Fellowship at the Library of Congress. His research has also been published in The Journal of Politics, Polity, Perspectives on Politics, Studies in American Political Development, Maryland Law Review, Nebraska Law Review, The Atlantic, and The Washington Post. 

He holds a BA from the College of William and Mary, an MA from the University of Maryland, and an MA and PhD from the University of Pennsylvania. You can find more information on his website and Twitter profiles.