John F. Kowal

John F. Kowal, a former director of grantmaking initiatives at the Ford Foundation and Open Society Foundations, is vice president for programs at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, where he is responsible for coordinating and guiding the organization’s programs on democracy, justice, and liberty and national security. Kowal writes on issues of constitutional law and democracy reform. He is the co-author (with Wilfred U. Codrington III) of The People’s Constitution (The New Press). He lives in New York City.

Author topics:

News and Reviews

Book Excerpt

Read an excerpt from The People’s Constitution to learn more about the nation’s “second founding” and the Fifteenth Amendment, the last of the Reconstruction amendments.

Washington Monthly

Read a review of The People’s Constitution in Washington Monthly.

Books by John F. Kowal

The People’s Constitution
200 Years, 27 Amendments, and the Promise of a More Perfect Union

John F. Kowal, Wilfred U. Codrington III