Samuel Bagenstos | Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
Tags

Samuel Bagenstos

Content type
Showing 1 - 30 of 32 results
Core faculty

Samuel R. Bagenstos

Arlene Susan Kohn Professor of Social Policy
Bagenstos specializes in constitutional and civil rights litigation, with interests in labor and employment, disability rights, and housing. He currently serves as general counsel of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and is on leave from the university.
samuel-bagenstos-faculty-profile-1800x2280
State & Hill

Samuel Bagenstos: Can scholarship shape democracy?

May 7, 2026
From arguing cases for the Justice Department to investigating why expanded social benefits were rolled back, Samuel Bagenstos explores the intersection of law, policy, and public service
Samuel Bagenstos at podium giving lecture
State & Hill

Faculty news, spring 2026

May 7, 2026
Ford School experts are publishing research, sharing their knowledge, and getting recognized.
A series of six headshots of people smiling
State & Hill

Spotlights, spring 2026

May 7, 2026
Over spring break, annual policy study trips took undergrads to Brussels for the BA Global Engagement Seminar (above) and graduate students to Colombia for the International Policy in Practice seminar (below).
A group of undergraduate students holding a Ford School flag at the European Parliament
In the Media

Trump administration in a bind on access to mifepristone - Bagenstos

May 5, 2026 CNN
The return of abortion to the Supreme Court is testing President Donald Trump’s strategy of avoiding the issue as the anti-abortion advocates grow increasingly frustrated that his administration hasn’t done more to crack down on access to mifepriston...
Samuel Bagenstos
News

2026 DC trip brings together Ford School students and alumni

Feb 20, 2026
Over 80 undergraduate and graduate students traveled to Washington, DC, for the Ford School's annual Career Exploration Days, bringing together current and future generations of policymakers for lively conversations about the policy landscape and pro...
students and alumni chatting at the 2026 D.C. trip
In the Media

Bagenstos predicts CDC director absence will be long-term

Feb 15, 2026 STAT News
The Trump administration has struggled to appoint and confirm a new CDC director following the firing of formerly appointed Susan Monarez. The Ford School's Sam Bagenstos shares what he thinks this will mean for the vacant position.
Samuel Bagenstos
News

Bagenstos warns of a return to eugenics and the Poor Law

Dec 14, 2025
The Ford School's Samuel Bagenstos presented the Arlene Susan Kohn Professor of Social Policy Lecture lecture, which focused on the retrenchment of recognition and support for the disabled community in policies across healthcare and education.
bagenstos-kohn-lecture
State & Hill

Faculty news, fall 2025

Dec 8, 2025
Ford School experts are publishing research, sharing their knowledge, and getting recognized.
Headshots of Javed Ali, Bill Axinn, Samuel Bagenstos, Jenna Bednar, Elizabeth Gerber, Devin Judge-Lord, Alexander Ralph, Fabiana Silva, Alton Worthington, and Dean Yang.
In the Media

Bagenstos: states can ensure access to vaccines

Aug 29, 2025 The New Republic
“All that would have to happen is for some state to purchase a whole bunch of vaccines,” Bagenstos says, “then have the state’s chief health officer prescribe the vaccine to anyone who wants them—and then provide the vaccines out of the state’s own s...
Samuel Bagenstos
In the Media

Bagenstos: HHS sends chilling message on gender-affirming care

Jul 7, 2025 KFF Health News
Opening investigations into gender-affirming care sends a message that this administration will "investigate or otherwise harass providers of gender-affirming care, even when that provision is legal in the states where they operate," said Sam Bagenst...
Headshot of Samuel Bagenstos
In the Media

Bagenstos asserts Michigan lawmakers should uphold court orders

Feb 18, 2025 Detroit Metro Times
“The Michigan Supreme Court enforced a basic democratic principle — that the people have a reserved power to vote on an initiative that qualifies for the ballot if the Legislature will not let it go into effect,” the Ford School's Sam Bagenstos remin...
Headshot of Samuel Bagenstos
In the Media

Bagenstos comments on the immorality of funding cuts to the NIH

Feb 11, 2025 Science
The Trump administration initiated a plan to cut federal funding for the National Institute of Health by billions of dollars. The funding cut for biomedical research was perceived as widely unpopular by federal judges and members of Congress. Samuel ...
Headshot of Samuel Bagenstos
In the Media

Withholding funding is not reasonable - Bagenstos

Feb 4, 2025 Marketplace
Professor at the Ford School and former General Counsel to the Office of Management and Budget, Samuel Bagenstos said the president "withholding certain funding — including for green energy projects and foreign aid" is not supported by "proper reason...
Headshot of Samuel Bagenstos
In the Media

Bagenstos on RFK Jr.'s threat to medicated abortion

Feb 4, 2025 HuffPost
With Trump's nomination for Robert F Kennedy Jr. to run the Department of Health and Human Services, many worry the drug used for medicated abortions is on the chopping block. “Under the statute that governs drug approvals, FDA is required to follow ...
Headshot of Samuel Bagenstos
State & Hill

Greater than its sum: an update on the Kohn Collaborative

Dec 17, 2024
Six years ago, Harold and Carol Kohn approached the Ford School with a vision. Their goal was to help build a vibrant research community dedicated to promoting social equity and inclusion. Today, the Kohn Collaborative for Social Policy is poised to ...
Kohn faculty portraits
News

Outstanding faculty join the Ford School, fall 2022 updates

Aug 26, 2022
This fall the Ford School welcomes a terrific group of new faculty members and visitors who will strengthen the connections between student education, rigorous academic research, and real-world policy impact. Sam Bagenstos has been appointed the ...
A 2x4 headshots grid featuring Bagenstos, Stewart, Harris, Biegun, Beatty Blunt, El-Sayed, Shields, Vieux