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John Thomas is a freelance writer, musician, professor at the Quinnipiac University Law School. He holds a BA and JD from the University of Arizona and an LLM and MPH from Yale University. John teaches international law and health law. John's 200 + publications address topics from gun violence to health policy to autism to music and musical instruments and have appeared in law reviews, medical journals, major newspapers, music publications, and the Oxford Dictionary of Music.

John's book, Kalamazoo Gals: A Story of the Extraordinary Women and Gibson's "Banner" Guitars of WWII (American History Press, 2013), centers on the oral histories of twelve women who appeared in a 1944 photograph and secretly built musical instruments during WWII. It has been featured on NPR, NBC, and was the subject of an hour-long BBC radio documentary.

John's book, One Hundred Years of Solitude, Struggle, and Violence along the US/Mexico Border: An Oral History (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2017), features oral histories, mainly of members of the ranching families who have lived in the Mexican state of Sonora and the corresponding territory in Arizona.

John's current, in-progress book, Child Refugees—Exploring Public Health, Mental Health, Epigenetic, Neurological and Legal Needs (Springer Nature, 2026), addresses the many challenges facing child refugees and asylum seekers around the globe.

John's other current, in-progress book, The Acoustic Guitar: Inside the World's Most Popular Musical Instrument (Oxford University Press, 2025), explores the physics, acoustics, and human response to the acoustic guitar.

Education

  • BA, University of Arizona
  • LLM, Yale University
  • MPH, Yale University
  • JD, University of Arizona

Areas of Expertise

  • International Law
  • Human Rights
  • Immigration Law
  • Health Care Law
  • Entertainment Law

Organization

  • Law

Office Location

  • School of Law and Education 257F

Mail Drop

  • LW-FAC

Selected Publications

Books

Child Refugees—Exploring Public Health, Mental Health, Epigenetic, Neurological and Legal Needs

John Thomas & Dorothy E. Stubbe

(Springer Nature 2020)

Law Reviews

Psychiatric, Epigenetic, Legal, and Public Health Challenges Facing Refugee Children: An Integrated Approach

W. John Thomas & Dorothy E. Stubbe

36 QUINNIPIAC L. REV. 635 (2018)

Books

ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE, STRUGGLE, AND VIOLENCE ALONG THE US/MEXICO BORDER: AN ORAL HISTORY

John Thomas

(Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2017)

Law Reviews

The Devil and Mr. Johnson: A Bluesman's Son Wins Possession on Judgment Day

W. John Thomas

16 TEX. REV. ENT. & SPORTS 107 (2015)

Books

KALAMAZOO GALS: A STORY OF THE EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN AND GIBSON'S "BANNER" GUITARS OF WWII

John Thomas

(American History Press 2013)

Law Reviews

Autism, Medicine, and the Poison of Enthusiasm and Superstition

W. John Thomas

7 J. HEALTH & BIOMEDICAL L. 449 (2012)

Law Reviews

The Devil and Mr. Johnson: A Bluesman's Cultural Legacy at an Intellectual Property Crossroads

W. John Thomas

11 TEX. REV. ENT. & SPORTS L. 1 (2009)

Law Reviews

Play it again, Hillary: A Dramaturgical Examination of a Repeat Health Care Plan Performance

W. John Thomas

19 STAN L. & POL'Y REV. 283 (2008)

Databases