This posting was written by CCH Trade Regulation staff.
FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz welcomed Joshua D. Wright as an FTC Commissioner at a swearing-in ceremony January 11. President Obama named Wright, a Republican, to a term that ends on September 25, 2019. He was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate on January 1, 2013, and will replace J. Thomas Rosch, who served as a Commissioner beginning in January 2006.
Before joining the FTC, Wright was a Professor of Law at George Mason University School of Law. Wright previously served as the inaugural Scholar in Residence at the FTC Bureau of Competition, from January 2007 to July 2008. Prior to GMU, Wright taught at the Pepperdine University School of Public Policy and clerked for Judge James V. Selna of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
He received a B.A. in Economics at the University of California, San Diego and a J.D. and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he was Managing Editor of the UCLA Law Review. According to Truth on the Market blog, Wright would be the first J.D./Ph.D. to serve as an FTC Commissioner and only the fourth economist.
Showing posts with label Joshua D. Wright. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Joshua D. Wright. Show all posts
Monday, January 14, 2013
Thursday, December 06, 2012
FTC Nominee Faces Questioning from Senate Commerce Committee
This posting was written by Jeffrey May, Editor of CCH Trade Regulation Reporter.
George Mason University Law Professor Joshua D. Wright faced tough questions from members of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee yesterday afternoon as the committee considered his nomination to serve on the FTC. If confirmed, Wright would replace Commissioner J. Thomas Rosch—a fellow Republican—who remains at the Commission although his term expired in September.
Wright, an economist, has written extensively on antitrust law and economics and is a regular contributor to the Truth on the Market blog. Some of those writings have raised concerns among committee members that Wright might not be right for the FTC.
“I profoundly respect the Federal Trade Commission as an institution, its role in protecting consumers, and its mission in ensuring the effective operation of markets,” Wright said in his prepared testimony. “The Commission has earned its reputation as the world’s premiere competition and consumer protection agency.”
However, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-California) said that some of Wright's writings gave her pause. She questioned why Wright would want to be a member of a Commission that he recently described as having “a history and pattern of appointments evidencing a systematic failure to meet expectations.”
Wright explained that he was not talking about the entire mission of the FTC. His criticism stemmed from the Commission's enforcement record under its FTC Act, Sec. 5 unfair methods of competition authority, as opposed to its consumer protection authority. Wright said that he believed greatly in the FTC's fundamental mission of protecting consumers.
Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-New Jersey) also wondered how Wright’s apparent anti-regulatory stance squared with serving as a regulator. “How do you protect the safety of consumers without rules?” the senator asked.
“I do believe in rules and regulation,” said Wright, in response to the questioning. He added that regulations can harness markets to work for consumers but can also operate to the detriment of consumers.
Commerce committee members also sought assurances from Wright that he would recuse himself from FTC proceedings involving companies for which the nominee had authored reports. Wright stated that he would recuse himself from law enforcement matters pertaining to Google and other appropriate cases where potential conflicts called for recusal for a period of two years.
Noting that the FTC can “sometimes move at a glacial pace,” Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) pressed on the adequacy of the two-year period of recusal.
Wright said that he would check with ethics officials at the FTC about his obligations and would recuse himself if appropriate, but the pledge did not seem to satisfy Cantwell.
Wright also said that, if confirmed, he would look into oil market manipulation. Senators Boxer and Cantwell both believe that the FTC should do more to determine whether market manipulation or false reporting by oil refineries contributed to near-record gas prices in Western states this year. Cantwell wants the agency to take a more aggressive role in policing potential oil market manipulation.
Boxer said that she was not happy with the Commission because it “has never so much as scolded” the oil companies.
Wright also pledged support for the FTC’s efforts to develop a “Do Not Track” mechanism for protecting consumer privacy on the Internet. He said that he supported the Commission’s view in favor of Do Not Track and the FTC privacy report's inclusion of notice and choice obligations.
George Mason University Law Professor Joshua D. Wright faced tough questions from members of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee yesterday afternoon as the committee considered his nomination to serve on the FTC. If confirmed, Wright would replace Commissioner J. Thomas Rosch—a fellow Republican—who remains at the Commission although his term expired in September.
Wright, an economist, has written extensively on antitrust law and economics and is a regular contributor to the Truth on the Market blog. Some of those writings have raised concerns among committee members that Wright might not be right for the FTC.
“I profoundly respect the Federal Trade Commission as an institution, its role in protecting consumers, and its mission in ensuring the effective operation of markets,” Wright said in his prepared testimony. “The Commission has earned its reputation as the world’s premiere competition and consumer protection agency.”
However, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-California) said that some of Wright's writings gave her pause. She questioned why Wright would want to be a member of a Commission that he recently described as having “a history and pattern of appointments evidencing a systematic failure to meet expectations.”
Wright explained that he was not talking about the entire mission of the FTC. His criticism stemmed from the Commission's enforcement record under its FTC Act, Sec. 5 unfair methods of competition authority, as opposed to its consumer protection authority. Wright said that he believed greatly in the FTC's fundamental mission of protecting consumers.
Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-New Jersey) also wondered how Wright’s apparent anti-regulatory stance squared with serving as a regulator. “How do you protect the safety of consumers without rules?” the senator asked.
“I do believe in rules and regulation,” said Wright, in response to the questioning. He added that regulations can harness markets to work for consumers but can also operate to the detriment of consumers.
Commerce committee members also sought assurances from Wright that he would recuse himself from FTC proceedings involving companies for which the nominee had authored reports. Wright stated that he would recuse himself from law enforcement matters pertaining to Google and other appropriate cases where potential conflicts called for recusal for a period of two years.
Noting that the FTC can “sometimes move at a glacial pace,” Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) pressed on the adequacy of the two-year period of recusal.
Wright said that he would check with ethics officials at the FTC about his obligations and would recuse himself if appropriate, but the pledge did not seem to satisfy Cantwell.
Wright also said that, if confirmed, he would look into oil market manipulation. Senators Boxer and Cantwell both believe that the FTC should do more to determine whether market manipulation or false reporting by oil refineries contributed to near-record gas prices in Western states this year. Cantwell wants the agency to take a more aggressive role in policing potential oil market manipulation.
Boxer said that she was not happy with the Commission because it “has never so much as scolded” the oil companies.
Wright also pledged support for the FTC’s efforts to develop a “Do Not Track” mechanism for protecting consumer privacy on the Internet. He said that he supported the Commission’s view in favor of Do Not Track and the FTC privacy report's inclusion of notice and choice obligations.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
George Mason Professor to Be Nominated as FTC Commissioner
This posting was written by Jeffrey May, Editor of CCH Trade Regulation Reporter.
George Mason University (GMU) Law Professor Joshua D. Wright has been picked to replace FTC Commissioner J. Thomas Rosch—a fellow Republican—when his term expires later this month. The White House announced the intended nomination on September 10.
In addition to serving as a professor at GMU School of Law and holding a courtesy appointment in the Department of Economics, Wright is the Research Director and a Member of the Board of Directors of the think tank International Center for Law & Economics. He has written extensively on antitrust law and economics and is a regular contributor to Truth on the Market blog.
Wright previously served as the inaugural Scholar in Residence at the FTC Bureau of Competition, from January 2007 to July 2008. Before joining GMU, Wright taught at the Pepperdine University School of Public Policy and clerked for Judge James V. Selna of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
He received a B.A. in Economics at the University of California, San Diego and a J.D. and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he was Managing Editor of the UCLA Law Review.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
