Nicholas Bednar

Nicholas Bednar is an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Minnesota Law School, specializing in administrative law, executive-branch politics, immigration, and quantitative methods. He holds a J.D. from Minnesota Law School and Ph.D. in Political Science from Vanderbilt University.

His research examines bureaucratic autonomy, presidential influence on administrative agencies, and the policymaking capacity of federal institutions. Professor Bednar's work has appeared in leading journals including the American Political Science Review, Cardozo Law Review, and George Washington Law Review.

Before joining academia, he clerked for Judge Tracy M. Smith of the Minnesota Court of Appeals and Chief Judge John R. Tunheim of the U.S. District Court. His current research investigates how bureaucratic capacity affects policy implementation across the administrative state.