Cardozo Law Professor and Former Dean Named Chairman of the Administrative Conference of the United States Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law Professor Paul Verkuil was confirmed by the United States Senate on Wednesday, March 3, after being nominated by President Barack Obama as Chairman of the newly reconstituted Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS). The Administrative Conference is a body of experts charged with making recommendations to Congress and federal agencies concerning the efficiency, soundness and fairness of agency procedures. “This is a tremendous honor and a great recognition of Paul’s contributions to administrative law. I cannot think of a person better able to construct and lead the ACUS,” said Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law Dean Matthew Diller. “We will all miss seeing Paul every day at Cardozo, where he has been a major presence on our faculty and in the life of the School for more than a decade.” ACUS was established in 1968 and has made important contributions to administrative government in this country, producing influential recommendations on topics ranging from agency alternative dispute resolution and regulatory negotiation, through venue rules for judicial review, to rulemaking procedures. Beginning in fiscal year 2009, Congress has reestablished ACUS after a 14-year hiatus. Professor Verkuil will have the critically important task of rebuilding ACUS at a point when the regulatory process is in tremendous flux. The financial crisis, renewed attention to environmental regulation, particularly with regard to the problem of climate change, and the prospect of major revisions to the health care system in this country will all have major repercussions for federal agencies. “Paul’s entire career – his influential administrative law scholarship, his managerial experience, his high-level legal practice and his status, and sweeping connections in the world of administrative law – has equipped him to be a stellar Chair of the Administrative Conference,” said Professor Michael Herz of Cardozo, friend and colleague of Professor Verkuil. “I know that under Paul’s leadership, ACUS will flourish. We can look forward to seeing it make important contributions to the sound, effective, and responsive functioning of the federal government. I can’t imagine a more ideal match between appointee and position.” Professor Verkuil served as dean of Cardozo from 1997 to 2001 and is a life fellow of the American Bar Foundation and of the American Law Institute. His most recent book is Outsourcing Sovereignty: Why Privatization of Government Functions Threatens Democracy and What We Can Do about It, published by Cambridge University Press in 2007. Professor Verkuil is also co-author of Administrative Law and Process (4th ed. 2004) and Regulation and Deregulation (2nd ed. 2004). He is a leading scholar of law and regulation and has published more than 60 articles in this field. Professor Verkuil earned an A.B. from William & Mary, an LL.B. from the University of Virginia Law School, and a J.S.D. from NYU School of Law.