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Richard Briffault

Joseph P. Chamberlain Professor of Legislation, Columbia University
Richard Briffault is the Joseph P. Chamberlain Professor of Legislation at Columbia Law School. His research, writing, and teaching focus on state and local government law, legislation, the law of the political process, government ethics, and property.

He is co-author of the textbook, State and Local Government Law, 2016, (8th edition); principal author of “Dollars and Democracy: A Blueprint for Campaign Finance Reform,” (a report of the New York City Bar Association’s commission on campaign finance reform), 2000; and author of Balancing Acts: The Reality Behind State Balanced Budget Requirements, Twentieth Century Fund Press, 1996. He has also written more than 75 law review articles.

In 2014, Briffault was appointed chair of the Conflicts of Interest Board of New York City. He was a member of New York State’s Moreland Act Commission to Investigate Public Corruption from 2013 to 2014, and served as a member of, or consultant to, several city and state commissions in New York dealing with state and local governance, including the New York State Commission on Local Government Efficiency & Competitiveness (2007-2008); the Temporary New York Commission on Constitutional Revision (1993-1995); the New York City Real Property Tax Reform Commission (1993); and the New York City Charter Revision Commission (1987-1989).

He is currently the reporter for the American Law Institute's project on principles of government ethics. He is also vice-chair of Citizens Union of the City of New York.

He was law clerk to the Honorable Shirley M. Hufstedler of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and was assistant counsel to New York Gov. Hugh L. Carey.

Briffault joined the Law School faculty in 1983. He received his J.D. from Harvard University and his B.A. from Columbia University.

Election 2020 sees record $11 billion in campaign spending, mostly from a handful of super-rich donors

Oct 15, 2020 14:56 pm UTC| Politics

Total spending in the 2020 federal elections is projected to set a new record of almost US$11 billion by November. When adjusted for inflation, thats over 50% higher than 2016 election spending. This years federal...

US under Trump Series

When presidential campaigns end, what happens to the leftover money?

Feb 13, 2020 00:09 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

Andrew Yang and Michael Bennet have ended their campaigns for president. What happens to the money they have raised, but not yet spent? The amounts could be substantial. Financial reports submitted to the Federal...

Economy

US Inflation Surges in September, Raising Fed Rate Hike Bets

U.S. inflation accelerated in September, fueling expectations that the Federal Reserve could raise interest rates later this month as Wall Street reacted to stronger-than-expected consumer price pressures. Data released...

Container Ship Sinks in Strait of Hormuz as Iran Attacks Escalate

A Singapore-registered container ship sank in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday after being hit by an unidentified projectile, triggering a fire and raising fresh concerns over maritime security and global oil shipments....

Wall Street Falls as Hot US Inflation Fuels Fed Rate Hike Bets

Wall Street stocks closed lower on Wednesday as stronger-than-expected US inflation data revived expectations of a Federal Reserve interest rate hike, sending Treasury yields higher and pressuring technology shares. The SP...

US Dollar Hits 18-Month High as Inflation Fuels Fed Rate Hike Bets

The U.S. dollar surged on Wednesday, approaching an 18-month high after stronger-than-expected U.S. inflation data revived expectations that the Federal Reserve could raise interest rates at its October meeting. The U.S....

China Bank Lending Rebounds in September, Beats Forecasts

Chinas new bank lending surged in September, exceeding market expectations as Beijing intensified monetary stimulus measures to support its slowing economy. However, weak annual credit growth continued to highlight subdued...

Politics

US Justice Department Drops Prosecution of Ex-CIA Analyst Sue Mi Terry

The US Justice Department has agreed to defer prosecution of former CIA analyst and White House National Security Council official Sue Mi Terry, who was accused of acting as an unregistered foreign agent for South Korea in...

UN Urges Talks on Lebanon Peacekeeping Mission Extension

United Nations peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix has urged the UN Security Council to begin negotiations over the future of UN peacekeepers in Lebanon as the country seeks to extend the missions mandate beyond...

FBI Denies Report of Kash Patel’s Russia Visit

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) denied reports on Wednesday that Director Kash Patel had traveled to Russia for meetings with Russian intelligence officials, confirming instead that he was attending a law...

Zelenskiy Says Trump’s Support for Russia Is ‘Painful’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed disappointment with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, describing Washingtons apparent shift toward Russia as painful amid the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war. Speaking...

Netanyahu Rejects Preemptive Iran Strike Ahead of Israel Election

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that he opposes launching a preemptive military strike against Iran before Israels October 27 election, while warning Tehran and its regional allies that any attack...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Anduril Valuation Hits $90 Billion in Employee Share Sale

Anduril Industries, a leading U.S. defense technology startup, has launched an employee share tender offer that values the company at approximately $90 billion, according to a Bloomberg report published Wednesday. The...

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Open to Cutting Chip Supply Over Unsafe AI

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said the company could stop supplying artificial intelligence chips to customers developing dangerous AI software, although he believes many current concerns about AI safety are exaggerated....

Apple Intelligence Set for China Launch in December With iOS 27.3

Apple Inc. is reportedly preparing to launch its Apple Intelligence artificial intelligence platform in mainland China this December, marking a significant step in expanding its AI services into one of its most important...

BlackRock CEO Warns Data Center Ban Could Trigger US Recession

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink has warned that a nationwide halt to data center construction could push the United States into a recession, highlighting the growing importance of artificial intelligence (AI) investment to the US...

AI Crypto Payments Surge to 138 Million Transactions on Base

Artificial intelligence (AI) agents are increasingly using cryptocurrency to purchase digital services, with more than 138 million transactions recorded through the x402 payment protocol on Coinbases Base blockchain,...