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Roger Pilon
Vice President for Legal Affairs
B. Kenneth Simon Chair in Constitutional Studies
Director, Center for Constitutional Studies
Roger Pilon is the founder and director of Cato's Center for Constitutional Studies, which has become an important force in the national debate over constitutional interpretation and judicial philosophy. He is the publisher of the Cato Supreme Court Review and is an adjunct professor of government at Georgetown University through The Fund for American Studies. Prior to joining Cato, Pilon held five senior posts in the Reagan administration, including at State and Justice, and was a National Fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution. In 1989 the Bicentennial Commission presented him with its Benjamin Franklin Award for excellence in writing on the U.S. Constitution. In 2001 Columbia University's School of General Studies awarded him its Alumni Medal of Distinction. Pilon lectures and debates at universities and law schools across the country and testifies often before Congress. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, Legal Times, National Law Journal, Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, Stanford Law & Policy Review, and elsewhere. He has appeared on ABC's Nightline, CBS's 60 Minutes II, Fox News Channel, NPR, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, and other media. Pilon holds a B.A. from Columbia University, an M.A. and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, and a J.D. from the George Washington University School of Law.
Media Contact: 202-789-5200
To Book a Speaking Engagement: 202-789-5226
E-Mail: rpilon@cato.org
Books and Book Chapters
Into the Pre-emption Thicket: Wyeth v. Levine, Cato Supreme Court Review: 2008-2009, pp. 85-109.
Foreword: Facial v. As-Applied Challenges: Does It Matter?, Cato Supreme Court Review: 2008-2009, pp. vii-xvii.
"Congress, the Courts, and the Constitution," Chapter 3 of the Cato Handbook for Policymakers, 7th edition.
"Campaign Finance," Chapter 9 of the Cato Handbook for Policymakers, 7th edition.
"Property Rights and the Constitution," Chapter 34 of the Cato Handbook for Policymakers, 7th edition.
Cato Studies
"Drug Reimportation: The Free Market Solution," Policy Analysis no. 521, August 4, 2004.
"How Constitutional Corruption Has Led to Ideological Litmus Tests for Judicial Nominees," Policy Analysis no. 446, August 6, 2002.
"Letter from Roger Pilon to Sen. McConnell on Campaign Finance Reform," White Paper, October 12, 1999.
"Mr. Smith, Welcome to Washington," Briefing Paper no. 49, July 30, 1999.
"Reviving the Privileges or Immunities Clause to Redress the Balance Among States, Individuals, and the Federal Government," by Kimberly C. Shankman and Roger Pilon, Policy Analysis no. 326, November 23, 1998.
Articles and Newsletters
"Constitutional Intelligence: Restoring Politics in the War on Terror," 12 Chapman Law Review 655 (2009).
"The Constitutional Protection of Property Rights: America and Europe," Economic Education Bulletin, American Institute for Educational Research, June 2008.
"The United States Constitution: From Limited Government to Leviathan," Economic Education Bulletin, American Institute for Educational Research, December 2005.
"Article: The War Powers in Brief: On the Irreducible Politics of the Matter," 2 Cardozo Public Law, Policy & Ethics Journal 49 (2003).
"Lawless Judging: Refocusing the Issue for Conservatives," 2 Georgetown Journal of Law and Public Policy 5 (2001).
"Panel Discussion: Brennan's Approach to Reading and Interpreting the Constitution," 43 New York Law School Law Review 41 (1999).
Opinion and Commentary
"Health Care and the Constitution," National Review (Online), January 14, 2010
"Executive Omnipotence in Copenhagen," National Review (Online), December 18, 2009
"A Layman for the Supreme Court?," National Review (Online), May 12, 2009
"Individual Liberty and the Constitution: A Response to Robert Bork," The Federalist Society (Online), July 9, 2008
"In a Class Of Your Own," Legal Times, June 16, 2008
Cato @ Liberty Blog Posts
"Holder on the Hot Seat," February 4, 2010
"Look Who's Talking Now," February 3, 2010
"The Unrelenting Battle over Campaign Finance," February 1, 2010
"Manhattan Says No to Terror Trials," February 1, 2010
"The Presidential Scold," January 29, 2010
Legal Briefs
Christian Legal Society v. Martinez, February 3, 2010 (PDF, 194 KB)
McDonald v. City of Chicago, November 21, 2009 (PDF, 253 KB)
Alvarez v. Smith, August 4, 2009 (PDF, 182 KB)
United States v. Stevens, July 28, 2009 (PDF, 175 KB)
National Rifle Association v. City of Chicago; McDonald v. City of Chicago, July 6, 2009 (PDF, 135 KB)
Events
"McDonald v. Chicago: Will the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Apply to the States?," March 1, 2010 [Policy Forum]
"Liberating Bone Marrow Donors," January 19, 2010 [Policy Forum]
"Voting Rights—and Wrongs: The Elusive Quest for Racially Fair Elections," July 9, 2009 [Book Forum]
"The Tie Goes to Freedom: Justice Anthony M. Kennedy on Liberty," March 23, 2009 [Book Forum]
"Little Pink House: A True Story of Defiance and Courage," January 27, 2009 [Book Forum]
Speeches and Testimony
"What Price Free Speech? Whistleblowers and the Ceballos Decision," June 29, 2006.
"Guns and Butter: Setting Priorities in Federal Spending in the Context of Natural Disasters, Deficits, and War," October 25, 2005.
"Strengthening the Ownership of Private Property Act of 2005," September 7, 2005.
"Legalizing Prescription Drug Importation," January 26, 2005.
"S.J. Res. 35: Proposing a Victims' Rights Amendment," July 17, 2002.
Multimedia
Roger Pilon discusses the Citizens United ruling on NPR affiliate WAMU's The Kojo Nnamdi Show February 3, 2010 [Flash Audio, 48:47]
Roger Pilon discusses the constitutionality of public option on WTJS' The Mike Slater Show October 27, 2009 [Flash Audio, 17:36]
Roger Pilon discusses Obama's Nobel Peace Prize win on SkyNews October 9, 2009 [Flash Video, 04:35]
Roger Pilon discusses several legal issues on WNDB's The Marc Bernier Show October 6, 2009 [Flash Audio, 27:26]
"Incorporating the Second Amendment" featuring Roger Pilon, October 5, 2009 [Flash Audio, 06:53]
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