Gray Matters

Jace Lington and Bennett Nuss chat with Chad Squitieri about his new paper, Congress in the Mouth of a Lawyer, which focuses on the president’s role in the lawmaking process. Prof. Squittieri discusses the constitutional role of the president in lawmaking, the importance of precise definitions of Congress, and implications for judges interpreting statutes. He explores how understanding the president's involvement influences legal doctrines and the separation of powers.

The second panel discussion from the Gray Center's Fall 2025 conference featuring: 

Sarah Binder, Brookings Institution
Jonathan Macey, Yale Law School
Aaron Nielson, University of Texas

Moderator:
Adam White, C. Boyden Gray Center

The first panel discussion from the Gray Center's Fall 2025 conference featuring: 
James Burnham, King Street Legal, and formerly of the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency

Susan Dudley, former Administrator, White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs; Founder & Senior Scholar, GW Regulatory Studies Center; Distinguished Professor of Practice, Trachtenberg School of Public Policy & Public Administration

Lisa Heinzerling, Georgetown University Law Center

Moderator: Mene Ukueberuwa, Wall Street Journal

Jace Lington and Bennett Nuss chat with Caroline Cecot about how recent changes in the EPA's analytical methods affect transparency and environmental protection. She discusses the evolution of cost-benefit analysis from a deregulatory tool to a framework for safeguarding health and the environment, and how recent administrative moves might revert it to "arbitrary and capricious" territory. The conversation delves into critical questions about regulatory decision-making, the role of Congress, and the impact of transparency on public trust.

Notes:
Benefit-Cost Analysis Under Threat, Caroline Cecot, The Regulatory Review 
Rethinking Health-Based Environmental Standards, Michael Livermore and Richard Revesz, New York University Law Review 
Deregulatory Cost-Benefit Analysis and Regulatory Stability, Caroline Cecot, Duke Law Journal 
EPA Turbine Rule, January 2026

Jace Lington and Bennett Nuss chat with Adam White about the recent Supreme Court case, exploring the nuances of statutory interpretation, the major questions doctrine, and the implications for executive and legislative powers. The Gray Center team analyzes the court's opinions, historical context, and future legal debates.

Notes:
Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump
Michael D. Ramsey making an originalist defense of the Major Questions Doctrine
John Ehrett's article at The American Mind about the New Right and the Major Questions Doctrine
Adam White on the Court's approach to presidential power
John Eastman on the tariff as an exercise of foreign policy