John Thorpe

John Thorpe is a Staff Attorney at the Goldwater Institute’s Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation, where he litigates in the areas of education, free speech, economic liberty, government transparency, regulatory reform, and property rights.

After graduating from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, John clerked for Judge Carolyn B. McHugh on the Tenth Circuit and for Judge Bridget S. Bade on the Ninth Circuit. John has also worked in private practice, focusing on appeals, complex commercial litigation, and Indian law. Prior to law school, John taught economics, Latin, and humanities at a charter school in Phoenix, where he saw first-hand how school choice can transform students’ lives. John is passionate about empowering families through school choice and academic transparency, as well as ensuring that schools are places for the pursuit of truth and the free exchange of ideas.

John grew up in Arizona and currently lives in Tempe with his wife Meaghan and their three children. He is a member of the Federalist Society and a board member of the Phoenix chapter of the Christian Legal Society. He enjoys spending time with his family, hiking, and cooking.