Daniel Rodriguez

Daniel Rodriguez holds the Harold Washington Professorship at Northwestern Pritzker Law School, specializing in constitutional theory, administrative law, and state governance. His scholarship examines the interface between legal rules and government action, particularly concerning state constitutional design and regulatory authority. Recent work focuses on the 'police power'—government's authority to regulate health, safety, and welfare—as articulated in his 2024 monograph Good Governing: The Police Power in the American States.

Rodriguez's research analyzes constitutional stability mechanisms, federalism dynamics in legal regulation, and administrative state evolution. Current projects include studies on constitutional monarchy's persistence in democratic systems, liability frameworks for pandemic-related business impacts, and biases in regulatory administration. His scholarship frequently engages with historical institutional development and contemporary governance challenges.

Beyond constitutional theory, Rodriguez maintains active research programs in access-to-justice reform and local government innovation. He has led major academic institutions as dean at Northwestern Law (2012-2015), University of Texas Law, and University of San Diego Law, and served as President of the Association of American Law Schools. His commitment to legal education extends to developing pandemic-related coursework during COVID-19.