It is with a heavy heart that I report the passing of Prof. Ronald Rotunda, the Doy & Dee Henley Chair and distinguished professor of jurisprudence at the Fowler School of Law at Chapman University and a long-time policy advisor to The Heartland Institute.
Ron, who passed away last night, was one of the most distinguished legal scholars in the United States, as you can see by a quick review of his bio here.
On September 14, 2016, Ron testified before the House Committee on Science, Space, & Technology in defense of global warming skeptics who were being attacked by NY State AG Eric T. Schneiderman and 16 other attorneys general (15 Democrats and one socialist). His testimony, titled “Affirming Congress’ Constitutional Oversight Responsibilities: Subpoena Authority and Recourse for Failure to Comply with Lawfully Issued Subpoenas,” can be found here.
His writings for us began with a policy study on term limits way back in 1997. You can read other essays and comments by Ron here, and a tribute to him at the Heritage Foundation here.
A distinguished and influential voice in debates on a wide range of topics, Ron will be sorely missed.
Joseph Bast is a Senior Fellow at The Heartland Institute. He cofounded Heartland in 1984, serving as executive director then as president & CEO until January 2018. His research and writing focuses on climate change and energy policy.
