Michelle Wilde Anderson

MICHELLE WILDE ANDERSON is the Larry Kramer Professor of Law and holds a joint appointment at Stanford University’s Doerr School of Sustainability. Her work focuses on poverty, inequality, environmental justice, and local government law. She has authored influential books and articles analyzing municipal fiscal crises, urban and rural poverty, and systemic racial inequities in public investment. A 2019 American Law Institute Early Career Scholars Medal recipient, Anderson’s research bridges legal analysis with humanistic reporting, advocating for equitable governance in high-poverty communities.

Her book, *The Fight to Save the Town: Reimagining Discarded America* (2022), examines how cities like Stockton and Detroit rebuild after collapse. She has held visiting professorships at Harvard and Columbia Law Schools and previously taught at UC Berkeley. Anderson chairs the National Housing Law Project and serves on the East Bay Community Law Center board.

Key areas of expertise include distributive justice, housing discrimination, and public finance. Her recent work explores state interventions in fiscal crises, environmental justice policies, and the legal tools to aid struggling municipalities.