John Richardson is a Visiting Fellow at the Alabama Policy Institute and a J.D. candidate at Stanford Law School, where he is a Knight-Hennessy Scholar. Prior to Stanford, he completed a Master of Public Policy at the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government as one of four Eisenhower Global Scholars representing the United States.

A native of Birmingham, John graduated summa cum laude from The University of Alabama with degrees in History and Political Science and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. He has previously served as a policy intern at API and worked in congressional, judicial, and academic roles across Alabama and Washington, D.C. Before beginning law school, he spent time working as a wrangler on a ranch in the mountains of Colorado.

John’s research and writing focus on state-level policy, civic renewal, institutional strength, and the future of conservative governance in Alabama. He is particularly interested in questions of community, leadership, and the role of public institutions in strengthening civic life.