Bureaucracy and Democracy: Are ‘We the People’ in Charge Any More?

Bureaucracy and Democracy: Are ‘We the People’ in Charge Any More? with Timothy Sandefur Timothy Sandefur is the Vice President for Legal Affairs at the Goldwater Institute’s Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation and holds the Duncan Chair in Constitutional Government. Sandefur was named the Barry Goldwater Chair in American Institutions at ASU for 2023-2024. We all learned in school about “how a bill becomes a law.” But most of the laws that govern our lives aren’t actually written by elected representatives at all. Instead, they’re written by unelected officials in bureaucratic agencies. Is this a threat to democracy? Or is it the best way to ensure that government policies are based on scientific knowledge and expertise? In this presentation, Timothy Sandefur will discuss the benefits and dangers of regulatory agencies, and two Supreme Court cases the justices will consider this term, Loper Bright and Jarkesy, that might transform how Americans are governed. Subscribe to our channel! Sign up for our newsletter: scetl.asu.edu/newsletter