Andrew Pyles discusses the new Small Business Administrationโs Interim final rule preempting local laws in California that govern rebuilding after the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. It analyzes whether, under the Supremacy Clause and the framework articulated in Arizona v. United States, federal agencies are permitted to preempt local land-use laws in the absence of a congressional directive.
Mitigating the Discretion Disaster: How Changes in the Law Can Help FEMA Effectuate Its Critical Mission
This excerpt introduces Paul Rando's Student Comment, which argues for an amendment to the FEMA statute to improve the U.S. disaster recovery system.
A Vision for a Robust Disaster Legal Services System in the Midwest
Author Paul G. Rando suggests that the time is imminent for law schools in the American Midwest to initiate disaster legal services programs.
