Dr. Richard Briffault

Biography

Joining the Columbia Law School faculty in 1983, Richard Briffault has a distinguished career combining public government service with teaching, research, and scholarship. He is a recognized authority on state and local government, and his expertise is frequently sought by news media on issues central to democracy and the political process, including campaign finance reform, government ethics, gerrymandering, and election administration. Briffault is a leading thinker in the area of 'the new preemption', critiquing how states are increasingly passing ideological laws to override local ordinances. He is committed to educating city and county government officials about responding effectively to state preemption through initiatives like the Working Local Solutions Support Center. An influential member of the Columbia Law School community, he has served as vice dean and on the advisory board for the Max Berger '71 Public Interest/Public Service Fellows Program. A prolific scholar, Briffault has written or coauthored over 90 law review journal articles, books, and monographs, including 'Dollars Democracy: Blueprint Campaign Finance Reform' and the sixth to ninth editions of the casebook 'State Local Government Law'. His previous experiences include clerking for Judge Shirley M. Hufstedler on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and serving as associate at Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison. During his tenure at Columbia Law, he has been involved in various New York state and city commissions and was chair of the New York City Conflicts of Interest Board from 2014 to 2020.

Research Interests