President Barack Obama announced his intent to appoint Stanford Law
Professor Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar, an expert on federal regulatory
policy, public safety, and international security, to the Council of the
Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS), an independent
agency of the United States government charged with improving the
efficiency and fairness of federal agencies.
Professor Cuéllar, who is the Deane F. Johnson Faculty Scholar, has been
on the faculty at Stanford Law School since 2001. He recently returned
from a leave of absence he took in early 2009 to serve as Special
Assistant to the President for Justice and Regulatory Policy at the
White House Domestic Policy Council. Among other issues, Cuéllar worked
on improving food safety and public health policy, expanding support to
state and local law enforcement, enhancing transparency in the
regulatory process, and strengthening border coordination and immigrant
integration. He negotiated key provisions of the Family Smoking
Prevention and Tobacco Control Act and represented the Domestic Policy
Council in the development of the first-ever Quadrennial Homeland
Security Review. Earlier, Cuéllar co-chaired the Obama Transition's
Immigration Policy Committee and served as a Treasury official in the
Clinton Administration.
As part of the ACUS Council, Cuéllar will join leading lawyers such as
former U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Patricia Wald and former Solicitor
General Ted Olson in overseeing the work of ACUS and setting its
priorities. With the appointment to the ACUS Council, Cuéllar will draw
upon his scholarly expertise in how institutions manage complex
regulatory challenges as well as his experience in government.
"At a time when our country faces such enormous challenges, it is
especially important for agencies to safeguard the rights of the public,
cut waste, and deliver value to the American people," said
Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar. "I am honored by this appointment and by the
chance to work on these critical issues."
Established by statute in 1964, the Administrative Conference of the
United States has played an important role in promoting improvements in
the efficiency and fairness in the way federal agencies conduct
regulatory programs. ACUS has been on hiatus for the past 14 years, but
has been revived by Congress with support from a broad range of lawyers,
scholars, and judges, including Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia
and Stephen Breyer.
"There is no better expert for this strategic oversight and
problem-solving role than Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar," said Larry
Kramer, dean of Stanford Law School. "Tino's expertise in streamlining
domestic regulatory policy and his added expertise in security policy
will make an important contribution to our nation at a critical time."
Stanford Law School is a leading center of scholarship and teaching in
the field of law and public policy. Much of the research and scholarship
undertaken by Stanford Law faculty members has real public policy
impact, and many faculty members have worked in government or been
involved in policy advocacy. Our faculty includes pioneers, like
Professor Cuéllar, working on some of today’s most compelling policy
problems. In addition, through Stanford University’s new
interdisciplinary graduate program in public policy, we are
reinvigorating the role of law as a major instrument of public policy
and educating tomorrow’s leaders. Whether through our joint degree
program in public policy or through interdisciplinary study, Stanford
law students can gain the skills and knowledge to develop, advocate for,
and implement policy that shapes the lives of people everywhere.
About Stanford Law School
Stanford Law School is one of the nation’s leading institutions for
legal scholarship and education. Its alumni are among the most
influential decision makers in law, politics, business, and high
technology. Faculty members argue before the Supreme Court, testify
before Congress, and write books and articles for academic audiences, as
well as the popular press. Along with offering traditional law school
classes, the school has embraced new subjects and new ways of teaching.
EDITORIAL CONTACT
Stanford Law School
Judith Romero,
650-723-2232 (Office)
Associate Director of Media Relations
or
COMMENT
Stanford
Law School
Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar, 650-723-9216 (Office)
Professor
and Deane Johnson Faculty Scholar
tcuellar@stanford.edu