| Lawrence Lessig | |
| |
| United States Representative from Massachusetts' 7th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Capuano |
| Executive Director of the Sunlight Foundation | |
| In office July 26, 2016 - November 7, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | John Wonderlich (interim) |
| Succeeded by | John Wonderlich (interim) |
| Chair of the Governor's Council on Transparency | |
| In office September 23, 2017 - November 7, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Anne J. Bresnahan |
| Biography | |
| Born | June 15, 1961 (age 60) Rapid City, SD |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic Party |
| Alma mater | University of Pennsylvania Trinity College, Cambridge Yale University |
| Occupation | Academic Activist Political staffer |
| Known for | Founder, Creative Commons Founder, Rootstrikers Founder, Stanford Center for Internet and Society General Chairman, Lincoln Chafee presidential campaign, 2016 |
| Other Positions | Director of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University Professor of Law at Harvard Law School |
Lester Lawrence "Larry" Lessig III (born June 3, 1961) is an American academic, attorney, political activist, and politician, serving as the U.S. Representative for Massachusetts' 7th congressional district since 2019. He was previously the Roy L. Furman Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and the former director of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University. During the 2016 U.S. presidential election, he served as General Chairman of the Lincoln Chafee presidential campaign. He served as a founding member of the board of directors for Not by a Mile, a 501(c)(4) organization founded in the aftermath of the Chafee campaign. From July 2016 until his election to Congress, he was the Executive Director of the Sunlight Foundation, having previously served on its advisory board.
As a political activist, Lessig called for state-based activism to promote substantive reform of government with a Second Constitutional Convention. In May 2014, he launched a crowd-funded political action committee which he termed Mayday PAC with the purpose of electing candidates to Congress who would pass campaign finance reform. In September 2017, Lessig was named the Chair of the Governor's Council on Transparency for Governor Charlie Baker of Massachusetts.
In December 2017, Lessig announced a primary challenge against incumbent Congressman Mike Capuano. He would go on to win a narrow upset victory in the primary, and go on to win the general election in the heavily Democratic district. Lessig sits on the Committee on Energy and Commerce, Committee on Financial Services, and the Committee on Oversight and Reform. He is additionally the founder and Chair of the Election Reform Caucus.
Academic and Legal Career[]
Lessig earned a B.A. degree in Economics and a B.S. degree in Management (Wharton School) from the University of Pennsylvania, an M.A. degree in Philosophy from the University of Cambridge (Trinity) in England, and a J.D. degree from Yale Law School in 1989. After graduating from law school, he clerked for a year for Judge Richard Posner, at the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago, and another year for Justice Antonin Scalia at the Supreme Court.
Lessig started his academic career at the University of Chicago Law School, where he was Professor from 1991 to 1997. There, as co-director of the Center for the Study of Constitutionalism in Eastern Europe, he helped the newly-independent Republic of Georgia draft its constitution. From 1997 to 2000, he served at Harvard Law School, holding the chair of Berkman Professor of Law, affiliated with the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society. He subsequently joined Stanford Law School, where he established the school's Center for Internet and Society.
Lessig is a proponent of reduced legal restrictions on copyright, trademark and radio frequency spectrum, particularly in technology applications. In 2001, he founded Creative Commons, a non-profit organization devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon and to share legally. Prior to his most recent appointment at Harvard, he was a professor of law at Stanford Law School, where he founded the Center for Internet and Society, and at the University of Chicago. He is a former board member of the Free Software Foundation and Software Freedom Law Center; the Washington, D.C. lobbying groups Public Knowledge and Free Press; and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Lincoln Chafee Presidential Campaign[]
Main Article: Lincoln Chafee Presidential Campaign, 2016 (The More Things Changed)
In the run-up to the 2016 Democratic primaries, Lessig served as an informal advisor to New York Congressman Bernie Sanders before becoming disillusioned and reaching out to the staff of Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee. Lessig was chosen to be the General Chairman Chafee's 2016 presidential campaign. In that capacity, he helped steer and direct much of Chafee's technology, privacy, and electoral reform policy.
Role in Crafting Policy[]
Lessig's chief role as campaign chairman was to advise the Chafee campaign, particularly on matters such as technology, privacy and electoral reform, most notable among his policies was his proposed Citizen Equality Act of 2017. Among its provisions, the act would:
- Restore and strengthen voting rights, including automatic registration and making election day a federal holiday
- End gerrymandering by replacing current single-member districts with independently determined, multi-member districts in which ranked choice voting is used to achieve better representation of all citizens' views
- Establish "citizen-funded elections," in which each citizen is given a voucher to distribute public funding in a decentralized way, with matching funds for small donations out of pocket as well
- Put strong limits on the revolving door between government work and lobbying
Sunlight Foundation[]
The Sunlight Foundation describes itself as a "nonpartisan nonprofit that advocates for open government globally and uses technology to make government more accountable to all." As Executive Director, Lessig has continued to advocate for transparency in all levels of government, and has promoted technology as the best method to this end.
Lessig has previously stated that his goal is to see that the internet "remains a free and open technology fostering innovation, economic growth and democratic communication."
Merger With ProPublica[]
On September 12th, 2016, it was announced that the Sunlight Foundation and ProPublica would merge; both publications would continue operating under their names, but would be under the umbrella organization Two Tomorrows.
As Executive Director of the Sunlight Foundation, Lessig sits on the Board of Directors of Two Tomorrows, chaired by University of Illinois professor and media critic Robert McChensey.
Under Two Tomorrows, the publications have continued their investigative journalism, including investigating the 2017 New York Times email leak and the surrounding "covert communications" scandal.
Governor's Council on Transparency[]
Governor Charlie Baker (since 2014)
On September 13th, 2017, Governor Charlie Baker of Massachusetts formed the Governor's Council on Transparency, naming Lessig as its chair. The Council works to enact best practices to tackle issues of privacy, transparency, and government accountability.
Recommendations[]
Among the Council's recommendations are:
- The Commonwealth should implement an "open by default" policy with data and public records
- The Commonwealth should recognize citizens’ access to government information as fundamental
- The Commonwealth should publish all solicitations and offers
These recommendations were later enacted by Executive Order by Governor Baker.
Political Bids[]
DNC Chairmanship Bid[]
Lessig contested the election for Chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee, where he positioned himself to represent the values and ideals of the Chafee campaign. He received 33 votes in the first round of voting, coming in fourth place. He withdrew and ultimately endorsed the winner of the election, Minnesota Representative Kieth Ellison.
FCC Chairmanship Bid[]
In March 2017, it was reported by Politico that Lessig had petitioned the Clinton administration for the Chairmanship of the Federal Communications Commission. Ultimately, the position went to Jessica Rosenworcel, a Commissioner of the FCC since 2012.
2018 Congressional Campaign[]
In 2017, Lessig announced a primary challenge against incumbent Congressman Mike Capuano. Lessig would go on to win a narrow upset victory in the district, winning 50.6% of all ballots cast.
U.S. Representative[]
Tenure[]
Committee Assignments[]
- Committee on Energy and Commerce
- Subcommittee on Communications and Technology
- Committee on Financial Services
- Subcommittee on Investor Protection, Entrepreneurship and Capital Markets
- Committee on Oversight and Reform
- Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy (Ranking Member)
Caucus Memberships[]
- Election Reform Caucus - Chair
- Congressional Reeds Caucus
- Congressional Caucus for Competitiveness in Entertainment Technology (E-Tech)
- House Tech Accountability Caucus
- Congressional Transparency Caucus