Philip Bobbitt is a prominent American legal scholar and political theorist known for his work in U.S. constitutional law and his analysis of the relationship between law, strategy, and history in state formation and sustainability. He graduated from Princeton University in 1971, earned his J.D. from Yale Law School in 1975, and completed his Ph.D. in political history at Oxford University in 1983.
Currently, Bobbitt is the Herbert Wechsler Professor of Jurisprudence at Columbia Law School and a Distinguished Senior Lecturer at the University of Texas School of Law. He has experience in all three branches of the U.S. government, including roles as Associate Counsel to the President for Intelligence and International Security, Legal Counsel to the Senate’s Iran-Contra committee, and Senior Director for Strategic Planning at the National Security Council. He has also served on the CIA's External Advisory Board.
Bobbit has written ten influential books, including Constitutional Fate: Theory of the Constitution, The Shield of Achilles: War, Peace and the Course of History, and Terror and Consent: The Wars for the Twenty-first Century. His early work established six key forms of constitutional argument that are widely used in legal discussions.
He has received many accolades, including being elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Royal Historical Society. In 2021, he was honoured with an honorary knighthood by HM Queen Elizabeth II, followed by a knighthood from HM King Charles III.
Bobbit is also known for his engaging public speaking and has participated in various forums to promote healthy civil dialogue on constitutional issues. He lived in the White House as a teenager with his uncle, President Lyndon Baines Johnson, and supports the Rebekah Johnson Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry, named in honour of his mother. His extensive career and writings have established him as a leading figure in constitutional scholarship and strategy.
