More on ACUS

On September 18, 2009 I posted about the Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS), noting that ACUS was going to be newly reconstituted, starting with the appointment by the President of a Chairman. Last week I received a comment asking if I had any updated information on ACUS, and how folks can keep track of the progress.

In an answer to the first question, I have reprinted a press release from The White House, Office of the Press Secretary announcing the President’s intent to nominate a Chair of ACUS.

November 2, 2009, WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key administration posts … Paul R. Verkuil, Nominee for Chairman, Administrative Conference of the United States.

Paul R. Verkuil is a public law scholar and academic administrator. He is currently senior counsel to Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP, where he oversees the firm’s Pro Bono program and participates in antitrust and corporate governance matters. Verkuil is also a professor at Cardozo School of Law. Previously, he has served as President of the College of William & Mary, Dean of Tulane and Cardozo Law Schools, Acting Dean of the University of Miami Law School, and CEO of the American Automobile Association. His legal activities include appointment as Special Master by the U.S. Supreme Court in the original jurisdiction case of New Jersey v. New York, which determined sovereignty to Ellis Island, and appointment as Special Master by the Fifth Circuit in U.S. v. Louisiana, a higher education desegregation case. He is a member of the board of the National Constitution Center, the Statute of Liberty – Ellis Island Foundation, and the Innocence Project. He has published over 60 articles on administrative law and regulation topics and is the coauthor of Administrative Law and Process. His most recent book, Outsourcing Sovereignty, addresses the problem of contracting out essential functions of government. He was chair of the Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice Section of the ABA and a consultant to and member of the Administrative Conference of the United States. He earned an A.B. from William & Mary, an LL.B. from Virginia Law School, and a J.S.D. from NYU Law School. He was an active duty officer in the United State Army from 1962 to 1964.

In response to the second question (how to keep track of the nomination and confirmation and the staffing of this gem of an agency) I will keep track and post whatever information I see about ACUS. So keep an eye here and I will post updates whenever I hear anything.