This coming Friday, November 8th, the University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform has organized a terrific day-long symposium on the future of agency independence. I’ve attached the schedule with speaker lineup.

The student editors have been hard at work planning this gathering, and I’m so excited for the series of conversations we will have on the various contours of agency independence — the traditional unitary executive debate, the role of scientific expertise in agency decisionmaking, the decisional independence of agency adjudicators, and the future of the career civil service.

I think what I love most about this symposium is that each panel is based on at least one of my colleagues’ important research, and we have brought in some of the nation’s leading experts to further engage with their work. We also have a great lunchtime keynote conversation between former FTC Commissioner Noah Phillips and my colleague Dan Crane.

Here is the schedule (and as a PDF here):

Panel 1: The Traditional Debate on the Unitary Executive and Independent Agencies         

9:00 – 10:15 AM

Moderator/Organizer:

• Professor Julian Mortenson, University of Michigan Law School

Panelists:

• Professor Andrea Katz, Washington University School of Law
• Professor Jed Handelsman Shugerman, Boston University School of Law
• Professor Christine Chabot, Marquette University Law School
• Professor Blake Emerson, UCLA School of Law

Panel 2:  Scientific Expertise in Agency Decisionmaking

10:30 – 11:45 AM

Moderator/Organizer:

• Professor Rachel Rothschild, University of Michigan Law School

Panelists:

• Professor Sam Bagenstos, University of Michigan Law School
• Professor Wendy Wagner, University of Texas School of Law
• Professor Jonathan Adler, Case Western School of Law

Keynote Address

12:00 – 1:15 PM

Noah J. Phillips, Former Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission, in conversation with Professor Daniel Crane, University of Michigan Law School

Panel 3:  Agency Adjudicator Independence

1:30 – 2:45 PM

Moderator/Organizer:

• Professor Nina Mendelson, University of Michigan Law School

Panelists:

• Professor Rebecca Eisenberg, University of Michigan Law School
• Dean Kent Barnett, The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law
• Professor Melissa Wasserman, University of Texas School of Law
• Professor Michael Asimow, UCLA School of Law

Panel 4: The Future of the Federal Civil Service

3:00 – 4:15 PM

Moderator/Organizer:

• Professor Chris Walker, University of Michigan Law School

Panelists:

• Professor David Lewis, Vanderbilt Law School
• Professor Rebecca Ingber, Cardozo School of Law
• Professor Jennifer L. Selin, Arizona State O’Connor College of Law
• Professor Nick Bagley, University of Michigan Law School