Aram Gavoor

I'm pleased to share that my latest article, Agency Delay and the Courts, with Steven Platt has just been published in the @AdLawReview . ⏰ Why This Matters Now: The timing is particularly salient. Across the federal government, agencies face mounting backlogs with record processing times. As workforce reductions and restructuring initiatives develop, these delays are poised to intensify while statutory obligations remain unchanged. 📊 Three Key Contributions: 1️⃣ We excavate the forgotten role of mandamus as a check on bureaucratic delay, tracing its evolution from English prerogative writ to modern remedy. 2️⃣ We demonstrate how courts have increasingly conflated mandamus with APA delay claims under § 706(1), obscuring important differences in their scope, standards, and available relief. 3️⃣ We propose a framework to replace the malleable TRAC factors with more structured analysis—one that better accounts for agency operations, congressional intent, and regulated party impacts. 🔍 What We Found: Our analysis of federal appellate court administrative delay opinion over 30 years reveals that delay cases are distributed far more broadly across circuits than commonly assumed. The D.C. Circuit, despite its reputation as the administrative law court, decides only 26% of published delay cases. ⚖️ The article is particularly relevant for practitioners navigating government processes and for courts tasked with policing the boundary between permissible administrative discretion and unlawful foot-dragging. Full article link below⬇️ #AdministrativeLaw #FederalCourts administrativelawreview.org/wp-content/upl…

Next up is a truly high octane panel: Executive Power in Action. @AramGavoor moderating with @USDOL Solicitor Jonathan Berry, @epa_fotouhi, @andrealucasEEOC , and @DepSecVaden . 🔥🔥🔥

Check out my explainer contribution to @BBCWorld re Harvard, DHS, and student visas. This is a fast-developing matter, but here are the basics. Thanks to @KaylaEpstein. (no pay wall) bbc.com/news/articles/…

It is an honor to be nominated and elected by my peers as a public member of @acusgov. My term begins July 1. The Administrative Conference of the United States is an independent, non-partisan federal agency within the executive branch dedicated to improving administrative law and federal regulatory processes. It conducts applied research, and provides expert recommendations and other advice, to improve federal agency procedures. Its membership is composed of senior federal officials, academics, and other experts from the private sector. Since 1968, ACUS has issued hundreds of recommendations, published reports and reference guides, and organized forums to improve the efficiency, adequacy, and fairness of administrative processes such as rulemaking and adjudication. Many have resulted in reforms by federal agencies, the President, Congress, and the Judicial Conference of the United States. acus.gov/article/admini…

Welcome & Plenary 1: The End of Humphrey’s Executor? [EBRXIII] x.com/i/broadcasts/1…

The Thirteenth Annual Executive Branch Review Conference kicks off with a panel discussion on "The End of Humphrey's Executor?" Ft. @ilan_wurman, @jedshug, & @AramGavoor #EBRXIII

I provided my analysis for this exclusive @WSJ story by @alexbward and @nancyayoussef.

I shared my thoughts for this @washingtonpost article; thanks @D_Hawk: “Aram Gavoor, a former Justice Department [@TheJusticeDept] lawyer and an associate dean at George Washington University Law School, said Trump and his attorney general, Pam Bondi [@PamBondi ], have wide latitude to deploy federal agents as they see fit. “If the chief law enforcement officer or her designees determine that there’s a potential violation of federal law, or if they’re assisting DOGE [@DOGE ] in fact gathering, that authority is there,” Gavoor said. He said it may also be “in the interest of DOGE and the DOGE mission to have protection and accompaniment” from law enforcement officers when visiting agencies targeted for elimination.”

Thank you Professor @lsolum for the “highly recommended” review of my article Agency Delay and the Courts! It will be published in the @AdLawReview in December 2025. Co-authored with Steve Platt.

Check out my interview on tonight’s @CBSEveningNews.

A legal showdown between Judge Boasberg and the Trump administration has escalated after the deportation of more than 200 Venezuelans, including alleged gang members, despite a court order. @MacFarlaneNews reports on the high-stakes fight over executive power and the rule of law.

I gave my take on the federal funding freeze, cancellations, and delay litigation for @nytimes and @NickNehamas. Great to be quoted alongside my @gwlaw colleague, @JTillipman. //Aram Gavoor, a law professor at George Washington University, said many of the questions being argued in the courts aren’t clear-cut. “There isn’t an immediate Supreme Court case or series of circuit cases that are recent that make it very clear what the outcome of litigation will be,” he said, adding that the administration’s actions and resulting lawsuits had “injected a strong degree of regulatory uncertainty” into federal contracting.// nytimes.com/2025/02/14/cli…

Check out my explainer video for @USATODAY on the question of whether there is a fomenting constitutional crisis vis a vis the Executive Branch and the federal Judiciary. usatoday.com/videos/news/po…

I shared my views on the latest chapter of the @tiktok_us saga, now as to @perplexity_ai's merger proposal, which calls for the U.S. government to own up to 50% of the new company with @dwhate and @BusinessInsider. -- "It's a social-media company that has a significant platform demonstrably for political reach and communication," said Aram Gavoor, associate dean at the George Washington University Law School who focuses on issues in tech, regulation, and national security. The ownership would bring about "novel constitutional questions with regard to speech," he said. -- I do not think that this is a "nightmare" per se, but that if a deal is made, very careful attention will need to be given so as not to trip on First Amendment speech concerns because the federal courts determine for themselves whether an entity qualifies as the government on this score if a citizen's speech rights are implicated. The courts will certainly pay close attention to and give cognizance to the ownership and control arrangement. Undoubtedly, if the federal government has no voting control and no input on the editorial work of such an entity, that would counsel in favor of TikTok being viewed as a private entity like any other social media company. But such an outcome would not be guaranteed on account of the novelty of the situation against the existing precedent. businessinsider.com/why-us-governm…

“The U.S. government has consistently succeeded in federal court in its policy and legal position that there is no government funded right to counsel in removal proceedings.” said Aram Gavoor, associate dean for academic affairs at the George Washington University Law School. Immigration courts are administrative courts subject to statute and policymaking of the president and attorney general, he said.

“The ultimate question is will Congress find that these exercises of authority require any oversight? My assumption so far is, likely no,” said Aram Gavoor, an associate dean for academic affairs at George Washington University Law School. “I think it’s a bit of a wait-and-see. The president does appear to be exercising his authorities to deliver on campaign promises. Of course, litigation is already forthcoming, but many of these big questions would only be conclusively answered before the Supreme Court.”

On Lawfare Daily, @KevinTFrazier spoke to @AramGavoor about the Trump administration’s initial moves on AI policy, the pivot toward relentless innovation, Trump rescinding the Biden administration’s 2023 EO on AI, and the recently announced Stargate Project.