Cass Sunstein

White House Profile

Cass Sunstein

Former Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs

Before becoming Administrator, Cass R. Sunstein was the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. Mr. Sunstein graduated in 1975 from Harvard College and in 1978 from Harvard Law School magna cum laude. After graduation, he clerked for Justice Benjamin Kaplan of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and Justice Thurgood Marshall of the U.S. Supreme Court, and then he worked as an attorney-advisor in the Office of the Legal Counsel of the U.S. Department of Justice. He was a faculty member at the University of Chicago Law School from 1981 to 2008.

Mr. Sunstein has testified before congressional committees on many subjects, and he has been involved as an advisor in constitution-making and law reform activities in a number of nations. A specialist in administrative law, regulatory policy, and behavioral economics, Mr. Sunstein is author of many articles and a number of books, including After the Rights Revolution (1990), Risk and Reason (2002), Laws of Fear: Beyond the Precautionary Principle (2005), Worst-Case Scenarios (2007), and Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness (with Richard H. Thaler, 2008).

Cass Sunstein's Posts

Making Forms Simpler

August 9, 2012 at 11:45 AM EDT

To fulfill its functions, the federal government asks people to fill out a lot of forms. To get permits and licenses, to pay taxes, and to qualify for benefits and grants, forms are often required. Too often, however, those forms are too confusing and complicated, especially for individuals and small businesses. Now, we are doing something about that problem.

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Economy

A Smarter Approach to Regulation

August 7, 2012 at 5:27 PM EDT

This White House White Board lays out the facts and shows that we can protect health and safety while promoting economic goals

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Advise the Advisor: Streamlining, Improving, and Simplifying Rules and Regulations

July 18, 2012 at 11:00 AM EDT

In the latest edition of Advise the Advisor, Cass Sunstein, Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Administration, asks for your input on how we can continue to streamline, improve, or simplify rules and regulations.

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“Lookback” Progress

June 4, 2012 at 12:05 PM EDT

As part of the Administration's ambitious regulatory lookback, Cass Sunstein announces new agency progress reports that provide an update on recent achievements and new initiatives.

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Economy

Making Regulation Smarter to Save Lives and Money

May 10, 2012 at 9:15 AM EDT

As President Obama has emphasized, it is possible to issue sensible, protective regulations and to eliminate rules that are no longer justified. Today, we are taking three important steps in that direction.

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Reducing Red Tape: Regulatory Reform Goes International

May 1, 2012 at 11:09 AM EDT

President Obama signs a historic Executive Order on Promoting International Regulatory Cooperation that will promote American exports, economic growth, and job creation.

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Fiscal Responsibility

Smarter Regulation: New Guidance on Reducing Cumulative Burdens

March 20, 2012 at 11:11 AM EDT

Cass Sunstein announces new steps the Administration is taking to improve our regulatory system and eliminate unjustified costs.

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Regulations.gov: Remaking Public Participation

February 21, 2012 at 12:38 PM EDT

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Regulatory Reform Progress

January 30, 2012 at 6:07 PM EDT

OIRA Administrator Cass Sunstein provides an update on the Administration's regulatory reform efforts.

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To the Point

January 6, 2012 at 1:53 PM EDT

Cass Sunstein on a new executive summary requirement that will make regulations clearer and more transparent.

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