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
"Property Rights and Regulatory Takings," Chapter 22 of the Cato Handbook on Policy, 6th edition.
"Campaign Finance," Chapter 16 of the Cato Handbook on Policy, 6th edition.
"Congress, the Courts, and the Constitution," Chapter 3 of the Cato Handbook on Policy, 6th edition.
Cato Supreme Court Review: 2004-2005, foreword author and contributor (2004)
"Town of Castle Rock v. Gonzales: Executive Indifference, Judicial Complicity," Cato Supreme Court Review: 2004-2005, pp. 101-124.
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
"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).
"Forfeiting Reason," Regulation, vol. 19, no. 3, Summer 1996.
"Essay: Discrimination, Affirmative Action, and Freedom: Sorting out the Issues," 45 American University Law Review 75 (1996).
Opinion and Commentary
"Listening to the Enemy," The Wall Street Journal, January 28, 2008
"Conservatism vs. the Constitution," National Review, August 15, 2007
"New Right to Life," The Wall Street Journal, August 10, 2007
"Importing Price Controls," The Wall Street Journal, May 7, 2007
"Letter to the Editor: Constitution Also Protects Rights Not Enumerated," The Wall Street Journal, December 26, 2006
Legal Briefs
Rancho Viejo, LLC v. Gale A. Norton, April 1, 2004 (PDF, 162 KB)
A.D. Bedell Wholesale Co., Inc., and Triangle Candy & Tobacco Co. v. Philip Morris, Inc., R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., Inc., and Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp., July 1, 2001 (PDF, 87 KB)
Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County v. United States Army Corps of Engineers, Brief of Amicus Curiae, January 1, 2001 (PDF, 158 KB)
Carol M. Browner, Administrator Of The Environmental Protection Agency v. American Trucking Association, Brief of Amicus Curiae, October 1, 2000 (PDF, 301 KB)
Antonio J. Morrison v. United States of America, Brief of Amicus Curiae, May 1, 2000 (PDF, 899 KB)
Events
"The Rise of the Conservative Legal Movement," May 14, 2008 [Book Forum]
"The Dirty Dozen: How Twelve Supreme Court Cases Radically Expanded Government and Eroded Freedom," May 6, 2008 [Book Forum]
"Why the Supreme Court Matters in a Presidential Election Year," March 19, 2008 [Book Forum]
"6th Annual Constitution Day," September 17, 2007 [Conference]
"Property Rights on the March: Where from Here?," December 1, 2006 [Conference]
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
"A Year with the Roberts Court" featuring Roger Pilon , September 17, 2007 [Flash Audio, 09:16]
Roger Pilon on the role of federalism in the 2008 elections on Fox News (August 14, 2007) [Real Media]
Roger Pilon discusses the future of the Supreme Court on CNBC (July 1, 2007) [Real Media]
"Importing Price Controls" featuring Roger Pilon , May 10, 2007 [Flash Audio, 08:43]
Roger Pilon discusses firearm sales and mental health policies on MSNBC (April 20, 2007) [Real Media]