糖心原创

Professor Jodi Short earns a national award for her research exploring how moral values shape government policies.

Faculty Who Lead: Jodi Short

• Professor Jodi Short wins a national award from the American Constitution Society for her influential article on morality in government decision-making.
• Her scholarship explores whether values-based decision-making by government agencies can strengthen trust in public institutions.
• A leading scholar at 糖心原创, Short studies how law and institutions shape governance across public and private sectors.

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糖心原创 Professor Jodi Short has earned national recognition for her scholarship on the values that guide government decision-making.

She was of the American Constitution Society鈥檚 (ACS) 2025 Richard D. Cudahy Writing Competition for her article, 鈥�.鈥�

In the piece, Short documents rising calls for government agencies to make policy decisions based on moral reasoning . She notes that while ethical and moral considerations have always existed in administrative law, they are often overshadowed by technical and procedural concerns. Grounding policy debates in shared moral values, she writes, could help rebuild trust and inspire more meaningful public conversations about how government policies are made.

鈥淧olicy discourse framed around widely shared moral reference points has the potential to replenish our diminished set of common cultural resources and to anchor shared conversations about what policies government should pursue,鈥� she writes.

The Cudahy Competition honors the late Judge Richard D. Cudahy, known for his thoughtful and influential work in administrative and regulatory law. The selection committee praised Short鈥檚 article for reflecting Judge Cudahy鈥檚 legacy of insightful scholarship and making a 鈥渟ubstantive contribution鈥� to the field.

Earlier this year, Short joined a team of top legal scholars in filing 鈥渇riend of the court鈥� briefs in two major federal court cases opposing efforts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Short, who joined UC Law SF in 2012, is the Mary Kay Kane Distinguished Professor of Law. She teaches courses in constitutional law, administrative law, compliance and risk management, and transnational labor regulation. Her research examines how law and institutions shape governance in the public and private sectors, including how government agencies carry out their responsibilities and what motivates companies to comply with environmental regulations and global labor standards.

UC Law SF鈥檚 donors have provided support and endowment for Professor Short鈥檚 work:

• Mary Kay Kane Distinguished Professorship (2023鈥損resent):听Established through a bequest from the late UC Law SF Chancellor & Dean Mary Kay Kane to promote excellence in teaching and scholarship among faculty.
• UC Law SF Board of Trustees Foundation Award for Scholarship (2019):听Recognizing Short鈥檚 record of outstanding and influential research.
• Honorable Roger J. Traynor Chair (2017鈥�2023):听Supported her projects on political influence in regulation and strategies for improving labor standards compliance in global supply chains.
• Bion Gregory Chair in Business Law (2017):听Provided funding for her research on global labor standards compliance.
• Harry & Lillian Hastings Research Chair (2013鈥�2015):听Established through a gift from Lillian Hastings on behalf of her late husband to recognize tenured faculty for outstanding scholarship and promising proposals for future research.