He graduated MA in philosophy and English literature at the University of Glasgow, before benefiting from a Snell Exhibition and taking the BA in jurisprudence at Balliol College, Oxford.

[2] At Oxford, MacCormick came under the influence of Professor H. L. A. Hart, and developed an interest in legal philosophy.

MacCormick stood for the SNP in the Edinburgh Pentlands constituency in 1983 and 1987, coming in fourth place both times.

[4] In September 1998 he was selected by delegates at the SNP's conference as a candidate for the 1999 European Parliament elections.

[5] He was elected a Member of the European Parliament, taking a leave of absence from the University of Edinburgh.

Professor MacCormick was a member of the Convention on the Future of Europe from 2002 to 2003, drafting the proposed Constitutional Treaty for the European Union.

[6] In 2007 MacCormick was appointed as a special advisor on Europe to the newly elected SNP-led Scottish Government.