Paul Ray leads The Heritage Foundation’s work on regulatory and economic policy as director of the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies.
Ray brings to the role wide experience at the highest levels of government and private practice, including service as the Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs—the federal “regulations czar”—within the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, to which position he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in January 2020. As Administrator, Ray supervised the review of hundred of regulations and led federal efforts on regulatory reform.
Before his time at OIRA, Ray served as counselor to the U.S. Secretary of Labor and an attorney specializing in administrative appellate law. He began his legal career with clerkships for Judge Debra Ann Livingston of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and for Justice Samuel A. Alito of the United States Supreme Court.
Ray’s research focuses on administrative law and policy, the American Founding and constitutional order, and political philosophy, with a special focus on subsidiarity and the common good. He is a frequent speaker in Washington and around the country on the federal regulatory system.
In addition to his work at Heritage, Ray is a member of the Executive Committee of the Federalist Society’s Administrative Law Practice Group. He also serves on the Board of Innovations in Peacebuilding International, which promotes peaceful, ground-up solutions in war-torn regions.
Ray is a graduate of Harvard Law School, where he served on the Harvard Law Review, and holds a bachelor's degree from Hillsdale College. Hailing from Chattanooga, Tennessee, Ray currently resides in Washington, D.C.
*****
A person listed as a contributor has spoken or otherwise participated in Federalist Society events, publications, or multimedia presentations. A person's appearance on this list does not imply any other endorsement or relationship between the person and the Federalist Society. In most cases, the biographical information on a person's "contributor" page is provided directly by the person, and the Federalist Society does not edit or otherwise endorse that information. The Federalist Society takes no position on particular legal or public policy issues. All expressions of opinion by a contributor are those of the contributor.
Annual Symposium on The Expanding Executive: Power, Policy, and the Constitution
Pennsylvania Student Chapter
University of Pennsylvania Law School3501 Sansom St
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Panel III: Congress and the Administrative State: Prospects for Regulatory Reform
2025 National Student Symposium
Michigan Law Hutchins Hall625 S State St
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Can The President Abolish The Department of Education?
Hillsdale Student Chapter
Hillsdale College22 E Galloway Dr
Hillsdale, MI 49242
Regulating the Administrative State Under Trump
Pennsylvania Student Chapter
University of Pennsylvania Law School3501 Sansom St
Philadelphia , PA 19104
Panel III: Congress and the Administrative State: Prospects for Regulatory Reform
2025 National Student Symposium
Featuring: Prof. Nicholas Bagley, Thomas G. Long Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School...
Daniel Webster Debate Series: Does America Have a Unitary Executive?
The Federalist Society's Georgetown Law Chapter'sDaniel Webster Debate Series presents Daniel Webster Debate Series:Does America...
West Virginia v. EPA, Two Years Later: Updates on the Major Questions Doctrine
Experts will examine the major questions doctrine, its role in regulatory litigation, and its place...
West Virginia v. EPA, Two Years Later: Updates on the Major Questions Doctrine
Experts will examine the major questions doctrine, its role in regulatory litigation, and its place...
FTC Negative Option, Junk Fee, and Commercial Surveillance Rulemakings
Weighing Costs, Benefits and Litigation Risk in a Post-Chevron Environment
Former FTC and OMB officials, joined by a longtime FTC practitioner, will discuss the current...