Yesterday, the Senate unanimously confirmed Joshua D. Wright to replace J. Thomas Rosch as a Republican commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). According to various sources, Wright is widely regarded as the top antitrust scholar of his generation. He is the author of more than 50 scholarly articles and book chapters and co-editor of three books on topics ranging from Competition Policy and Intellectual Property Law to the Intellectual History of Law and Economics. He will be only the fourth economist to serve as FTC Commissioner and the first to hold both a JD and PhD. Click here for more information on Wright’s credentials.
Wright faced tough questioning from Democrats at his confirmation hearing last month, which is available via webcast here. The inquiry stemmed from Wright’s industry-funded academic writings that were critical of the FTC and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Committee members also expressed concern that Wright’s academic research was funded in part by Google, and Wright pledged at the hearing to recuse himself from FTC cases involving Google for two years to avoid any perceived conflict of interest.
Wright leaves his tenure as law professor at the George Mason University School of Law for a seven-year term with the FTC.