Richard Revesz
Encyclopedia
Richard L. "Ricky" Revesz (born May 9, 1958) is a law professor and the current dean of the New York University School of Law
. He is one of the nation's leading experts on environmental and regulatory law and policy.
Born in Argentina
, Richard Revesz graduated summa cum laude in Civil Engineering and Public Affairs from Princeton University
and received an M.S. in Civil Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
. He continued his studies at Yale Law School
, where he was editor-in-chief of Yale Law Journal
. Upon graduation, he clerked first for Chief Judge Wilfred Feinberg
of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and then for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall
, where he met his wife, Vicki L. Been who also was clerking at the Supreme Court. Revesz began his academic career in 1985, joining the faculty of NYU Law as an assistant professor. By 1990, he was a full professor of law, teaching environmental
and administrative law
. In 2001, he was named Lawrence King Professor of Law and, a year later, he succeeded John Sexton
as dean. Revesz also has been a visiting professor at Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
, Harvard Law School
, Yale Law School
, and the Graduate Institute of International Studies
in Geneva, Switzerland.
An influential thinker in the area of environmental and regulatory law and policy, Revesz has published numerous books and articles in major law reviews and journals, focusing on federalism and environmental regulation, the design of liability rules for environmental protection and the role of cost-benefit analysis in shaping administrative and environmental regulation. His most recent book, Retaking Rationality: How Cost Benefit Analysis Can Better Protect the Environment and Our Health, which he co-authored, argues that the economic analysis of the law could be used by environmentalists and other progressive groups to strengthen environmental and public health policy and regulations.
After the book was published in 2008, he co-founded the Institute for Policy Integrity, a NYU Law-affiliated advocacy organization and think-tank dedicated to improving the quality of governmental decision-making. Established in the last few months of George W. Bush's presidency, the institute quickly got in the news for spotlighting the Bush administration's rush to adopt a raft of controversial regulations, known as "midnight regulations". Since then, Revesz has published several op-eds on a variety of environmental and regulatory issues, from the economic costs to offshore oil drilling to sector carbon pricing.
Throughout Revesz's career, he has played an active role in shaping environmental public policy and regulations. He has served as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
and the National Research Council
, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
and a member of the Environmental Economics Advisory Committee of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Science Advisory Board, among other organizations. In 1994 and 2007, he received the American Bar Association
award for best article or book on administrative law and regulatory practice.
During his tenure as dean at NYU Law, Revesz has enhanced school’s historic commitment to public interest law, institutionalizing funding opportunities that enable greater numbers of students to pursue public interest work. He also completed a successful campaign to endow the prestigious Root-Tilden-Kern Scholarship Program, restoring the program to its full strength of 20 full-tuition scholarships a year, and more than tripled the size of the AnBryce Scholarship Program, enabling more students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue a legal education and furthering the institution’s mission to promote diversity in the legal profession. Revesz has overseen numerous innovations in the NYU Law curriculum, including the introduction of an Administrative and Regulatory State course in the first-year and the implementation of a first-year elective. The Jacobson Leadership Program in Law and Business was designed to train future entrepreneurs and leaders of business in cooperation with NYU’s Stern School of Business and offers a wealth of transactional courses to teach students the art of deal making in a number of industries. Revesz also recently completed an ambitious capital campaign that raised more than $400 million – more than any other law school campaign – to support the institution’s educational mission.
Richard Revesz lives with his wife and two children in New York City
.
New York University School of Law
The New York University School of Law is the law school of New York University. Established in 1835, the school offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in law, and is located in Greenwich Village, in the New York City borough of Manhattan....
. He is one of the nation's leading experts on environmental and regulatory law and policy.
Born in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Richard Revesz graduated summa cum laude in Civil Engineering and Public Affairs from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
and received an M.S. in Civil Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
. He continued his studies at Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
, where he was editor-in-chief of Yale Law Journal
Yale Law Journal
The Yale Law Journal is a student-run law review affiliated with the Yale Law School. Published continuously since 1891, it is the most widely known of the eight law reviews published by students at Yale Law School...
. Upon graduation, he clerked first for Chief Judge Wilfred Feinberg
Wilfred Feinberg
Wilfred Feinberg is a Senior United States Circuit Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He was Chief Judge of the Circuit from 1980 to 1988, and assumed senior status in 1991...
of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and then for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, serving from October 1967 until October 1991...
, where he met his wife, Vicki L. Been who also was clerking at the Supreme Court. Revesz began his academic career in 1985, joining the faculty of NYU Law as an assistant professor. By 1990, he was a full professor of law, teaching environmental
Environmental law
Environmental law is a complex and interlocking body of treaties, conventions, statutes, regulations, and common law that operates to regulate the interaction of humanity and the natural environment, toward the purpose of reducing the impacts of human activity...
and administrative law
Administrative law
Administrative law is the body of law that governs the activities of administrative agencies of government. Government agency action can include rulemaking, adjudication, or the enforcement of a specific regulatory agenda. Administrative law is considered a branch of public law...
. In 2001, he was named Lawrence King Professor of Law and, a year later, he succeeded John Sexton
John Sexton
John Edward Sexton is the fifteenth President of New York University, having held this position since May 17, 2002, and the Benjamin Butler Professor of Law at the New York University School of Law. From 1988 to 2002, he served as Dean of the NYU School of Law, which during his deanship became one...
as dean. Revesz also has been a visiting professor at Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
The Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs is a professional public policy school at Princeton University. The school has granted undergraduate A.B. degrees since 1930 and graduate degrees since 1948...
, Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
, Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
, and the Graduate Institute of International Studies
Graduate Institute of International Studies
The Graduate Institute of International Studies, best known as HEI , was founded in 1927 as one of the first institutions in the world dedicated to the study of international relations...
in Geneva, Switzerland.
An influential thinker in the area of environmental and regulatory law and policy, Revesz has published numerous books and articles in major law reviews and journals, focusing on federalism and environmental regulation, the design of liability rules for environmental protection and the role of cost-benefit analysis in shaping administrative and environmental regulation. His most recent book, Retaking Rationality: How Cost Benefit Analysis Can Better Protect the Environment and Our Health, which he co-authored, argues that the economic analysis of the law could be used by environmentalists and other progressive groups to strengthen environmental and public health policy and regulations.
After the book was published in 2008, he co-founded the Institute for Policy Integrity, a NYU Law-affiliated advocacy organization and think-tank dedicated to improving the quality of governmental decision-making. Established in the last few months of George W. Bush's presidency, the institute quickly got in the news for spotlighting the Bush administration's rush to adopt a raft of controversial regulations, known as "midnight regulations". Since then, Revesz has published several op-eds on a variety of environmental and regulatory issues, from the economic costs to offshore oil drilling to sector carbon pricing.
Throughout Revesz's career, he has played an active role in shaping environmental public policy and regulations. He has served as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
and the National Research Council
United States National Research Council
The National Research Council of the USA is the working arm of the United States National Academies, carrying out most of the studies done in their names.The National Academies include:* National Academy of Sciences...
, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
and a member of the Environmental Economics Advisory Committee of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Science Advisory Board, among other organizations. In 1994 and 2007, he received the American Bar Association
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
award for best article or book on administrative law and regulatory practice.
During his tenure as dean at NYU Law, Revesz has enhanced school’s historic commitment to public interest law, institutionalizing funding opportunities that enable greater numbers of students to pursue public interest work. He also completed a successful campaign to endow the prestigious Root-Tilden-Kern Scholarship Program, restoring the program to its full strength of 20 full-tuition scholarships a year, and more than tripled the size of the AnBryce Scholarship Program, enabling more students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue a legal education and furthering the institution’s mission to promote diversity in the legal profession. Revesz has overseen numerous innovations in the NYU Law curriculum, including the introduction of an Administrative and Regulatory State course in the first-year and the implementation of a first-year elective. The Jacobson Leadership Program in Law and Business was designed to train future entrepreneurs and leaders of business in cooperation with NYU’s Stern School of Business and offers a wealth of transactional courses to teach students the art of deal making in a number of industries. Revesz also recently completed an ambitious capital campaign that raised more than $400 million – more than any other law school campaign – to support the institution’s educational mission.
Richard Revesz lives with his wife and two children in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Representative Bibliography
- Retaking Rationality: How Cost-Benefit Analysis Can Better Protect the Environment and Our Health with Michael Livermore. (2008).
- Environmental Law and Policy. (2008).
- Grandfathering and Environmental Regulation: The Law and Economics of New Source Review with Jonathan Nash. 101 Northwestern University Law Review 1677 (2007).
- Centralized Oversight of the Regulatory State, with Nicholas Bagley. 106 Columbia Law Review 1260 (2006).
- Anti-Regulation Under the Guise of Rational Regulation: The Bush Administration's Approaches to Valuing Human Lives in Environmental Cost-Benefit Analyses, with Laura Lowenstein. 34 Environmental Law Reporter 10,954 (2004).
- Foundations of Environmental Law and Policy. 2nd Ed.(2000).