David N. Schleicher

Professor of Law

(on leave, spring 2024)


David N. Schleicher is a Professor of Law at Yale Law School and is an expert in election law, land use, local government law, federalism, state and local finance, municipal bankruptcy, and urban development. His work has been published widely in academic journals, including the Yale Law Journal and the University of Chicago Law Review, as well as in popular outlets like The Atlantic and Slate.

FULL BIOGRAPHY
David Schleicher

Contact Information



Faculty Assistant


Jennifer Marshall

Education & Curriculum Vitae


J.D., Harvard Law School, 2004

M.Sc., London School of Economics, 2001

A.B., Dartmouth College, 2000

Courses Taught


  • Local Government Law
  • Procedure I
  • The State and Local Budget Crisis
  • Property Law

David N. Schleicher is a Professor of Law at Yale Law School and is an expert in local government law, land use, federalism, state and local finance and urban development. His work has been published widely in academic journals, including the Yale Law Journal and the University of Chicago Law Review, as well as in popular outlets like The Atlantic and Slate. He is also the host of the hit podcast, “Digging a Hole: The Legal Theory Podcast.”

Professor Schleicher’s scholarship focuses on state and local elections, the relationship between local government law and agglomeration economics, and pathologies in land use politics and procedure. He has been called “the most important thinker we have on the subject of local government” and “ingenious” by National Review and one of the “most interesting writers on land use” by Washington Monthly. His work has been described as “great but old fashioned” by Vox, “interesting” by The Nation, “clever” by The Economist, “neat” by Slate, “prescient” by City Observatory, “excellent” by Forbes, and discussed extensively in The Atlantic, National Affairs, Reuters, and a number of other places. 

Schleicher was previously an Associate Professor of Law at George Mason University School of Law, where he won the university’s Teaching Excellence Award. He has also taught at Georgetown, Harvard, and New York University. He is a 2004 magna cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School. He also holds an MSc in Economics from the London School of Economics and an AB in Economics and Government from Dartmouth College.

Wednesday, September 20, 2023


Pandemic Aid for Public Schools Is Running Out. That’s Leaving Districts Under Pressure

Professor of Law David Schleicher discusses the impacts of the end of federal aid received by public schools due to the pandemic.

Friday, September 15, 2023


Should District Residents Have Greater Independence?

Professor of Law David Schleicher is quoted in a report outlining the arguments for and against Washington, D.C. statehood.

Monday, July 31, 2023


Building Better Defaults, with David Schleicher

Professor of Law David Schleicher discusses his new book, In a Bad State: Responding to State and Local Fiscal Crises.

Tuesday, July 11, 2023


The Basketball Court — A Commentary by David Schleicher and David Fontana ’05

David N. Schleicher is a Professor of Law at Yale Law School. David Fontana ’05  is the Samuel Tyler Research Professor at George Washington University Law School.

Monday, July 10, 2023


How Equalization Makes Canada Distinct From the U.S.: David Schleicher on the Persistence of Local Budget Crises

Professor of Law David Schleicher discusses his book, In a Bad State: Responding to State and Local Budget Crises.

Saturday, July 8, 2023


David Schleicher on the Campbell Conversations

Professor of Law David Schleicher discusses his book In a Bad State: Responding to State and Local Budget Crises.

Tuesday, June 13, 2023


When Your Local Government Goes Broke

Professor of Law David N. Schleicher’s new book, In a Bad State: Responding to State and Local Budget Crises, is reviewed.

Wednesday, June 7, 2023


How Should Governments Respond to the Next Budget Crisis?

Professor of Law David Schleicher discusses his new book, In A Bad State: Responding to State and Local Budget Crises.

Monday, June 5, 2023


What Happens When Cities Run Out of Money

Professor of Law David N. Schleicher’s new book, In a Bad State: Responding to State and Local Budget Crises, is reviewed.

Sunday, June 4, 2023


The Era of Flush State Budgets Is Over — A Commentary by David Schleicher

David N. Schleicher is a Professor of Law at Yale Law School.

Friday, June 2, 2023


Can States and Cities Dig Themselves Out?

Professor of Law David N. Schleicher discusses his new book In a Bad State: Responding to State and Local Budget Crises.

Thursday, June 1, 2023


NIMBY Cities Are Using Your Tax Dollars To Lobby Against New Housing

Professor of Law David N. Schleicher discusses how cities craft ‘NIMBY’ policies using tax dollars.

Sunday, May 28, 2023


As debt ceiling negotiators finalize deal, the nation watches anxiously

Professor of Law David N. Schleicher discusses public concerns about the debt ceiling negotiations.

Friday, May 5, 2023


What States and Cities Can Do about Debt

In his new book, Professor David N. Schleicher gives federal policymakers “a practical guide” for when states and cities cannot pay their debts.

Wednesday, May 3, 2023


Disney Should Thank DeSantis for His Big Dumb Mouth

Sterling Professor Robert Post ’77 and Professor of Law David N. Schleicher discuss First Amendment and contract law issues behind the legal battles between Disney and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Sunday, March 26, 2023


Nassau, Suffolk Struggle With ‘Alarming’ Employee Payouts

Professor of Law David Schleicher comments what happens when local governments agree to contracts for public employees that include payouts for unused sick and vacation days.

Friday, December 23, 2022


Whose Boom Is It? City Cut Top Investors $166M Break In 2022

Clinical Professor Anika Singh Lemar and Professor of Law David Schleicher comment on how tax appraisals work in an analysis of the year’s largest commerical property transactions in New Haven.

Tuesday, September 20, 2022


Why Local Governments Need to Compete to Offer Citizens What They Want

A commentary on domestic migration in the U.S. cites scholarship by Professor of Law David N. Schleicher.  

Thursday, August 11, 2022


Is the Rent Too Damn High?

Professor of Law David N. Schleicher joins a panel on the housing market in New York City.

Friday, April 29, 2022


Florida’s Law Punishing Disney Has a Billion-Dollar Problem

Professor of Law Professor David N. Schleicher comments on the legal complexities of Florida’s special district for Disney property.

Monday, April 25, 2022


Community Input Is Bad, Actually

Scholarship by Professor of Law David Schleicher is cited in an article about community input stalling local infrastruture projects.

Thursday, February 24, 2022


What Happens When Americans Stay in the Same House Forever?

Professor of Law David Schleicher is quoted about a decline in residential mobility in America.

Tuesday, December 7, 2021


Why We Can’t Have Nice Place-Based Policies: A Review of David Wessel’s Only The Rich Can Play

Professor of Law David Schleicher reviews David Wessel’s book, Only The Rich Can Play.

Wednesday, October 27, 2021


New Jersey Is the Best-Run State in America

Professor of Law David Schleicher comments on New Jersey's state governance.

Monday, October 25, 2021


It’s His Town Now

Professor of Law David Schleicher comments on the possible post-election plans of New York mayoral candidate Eric Adams.

Friday, September 24, 2021


How California Plans To Turn the Screws on Nimby Cities

Professor of Law David Schleicher discusses how the state of California can put pressure on cities to accommodate more new homes.

Wednesday, August 4, 2021


We the People

Henry R. Luce Professor of Jurisprudence Samuel Moyn and Professor of Law David Schleicher contributed essays to a series exploring potential constitutional amendments.

Friday, July 23, 2021


How Blue Cities Became So Outrageously Unaffordable

Papers by Professor of Law David Schleicher and Associate Professor of Law Zachary Liscow ’15 are discussed on the Ezra Klein Show.

Monday, July 12, 2021


COVID Didn’t Kill Cities. Why Was That Prophecy So Alluring?

Professor of Law David N. Schleicher comments about anti-urban sentiment in America during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tuesday, June 22, 2021


The Machine Man — A Commentary by David N. Schleicher

David N. Schleicher is a Professor of Law at Yale Law School.

Thursday, June 17, 2021


The Company Eric Adams Keeps

Professor of Law David N. Schleicher is quoted in a profile of a New York City mayoral candidate.

Friday, June 4, 2021


D.C. Statehood Could Cost More than $1 Billion. City Officials Aren’t Fazed.

Professor David Schleicher is quoted in a news story about the cost of D.C. statehood.

Thursday, April 22, 2021


Who is the Racial Justice Case for Zoning Reform For?

Professor of Law David Schleicher is mentioned in an article on the Slow Boring blog about residential zoning policy.

Friday, April 16, 2021


How Zoning Screws Up Everything

Professor of Law David Schleicher was interviewed on the Model Citizen podcast about residential zoning.

Monday, March 29, 2021


A Fight over Housing Segregation is Dividing One of America’s Most Liberal States

A commentary by Professor of Law David Schleicher is cited in Vox about Connecticut residential zoning restrictions.

Monday, March 22, 2021


“Home Rule” a False Argument on Housing — A Commentary by David Schleicher

David Schleicher is a Professor of Law at Yale Law School.

Wednesday, March 10, 2021


A Way to Tamp Down the Toxic Politics of National Identity

Scholarship by Professor of Law David Schleicher is cited in a Governing commentary about national identity.

Friday, February 12, 2021


Nobody Knows How NYC’s New Voting System Will Affect the Mayoral Race

Professor of Law David Schleicher is quoted in New York Magazine about how ranked-choice voting may affect the New York mayoral race.

Friday, February 5, 2021


Covid-19 caused a recession. So why did the housing market boom?

Professor of Law David Schleicher is cited in a Vox article about trends in the housing market during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wednesday, November 18, 2020


Want More Infrastructure? Make It Cheaper to Build

Professor of Law David Schleicher and Associate Professor of Law Zachary Liscow ’15 are mentioned in a Bloomberg commentary on how to make building more affordable.

Wednesday, October 21, 2020


A Piece of New York: Real Estate in NYC

Professor of Law David Schleicher was a guest on WYNC’s Here’s the Thing podcast where he discussed gentrification.

Friday, October 16, 2020


New Law School Workshop Explores Impact of COVID Across All Aspects of Law and Policy

The Solomon Center for Health Law and Policy has convened a weekly interdisciplinary workshop with leading experts from law, policy, economics, health, and governance to address issues related to all aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Monday, October 5, 2020


David Schleicher and Samuel Moyn Start New Legal Theory Podcast

Law School professors Samuel Moyn and David Schleicher have collaborated to create “Digging a Hole: The Legal Theory Podcast.”

Tuesday, August 18, 2020


Ending Member Privilege

Professor of Law David Schleicher is cited in a City Journal article about how aldermanic privilege can block urban development.

Monday, August 10, 2020


David Schleicher on the Municipal Trilemma and its Implications for the Current Crisis

Professor of Law David Schleicher was interviewed on The Bridge podcast about the historical role the federal government has played in responding to state and local budget crises.

Friday, July 17, 2020


State and local officials tussle over virus restrictions

Professor of Law David Schleicher is quoted in an Associated Press story about friction between state and local governments over mandates related to COVID-19.

Monday, June 29, 2020


The Latest Push Toward Statehood For Washington, D.C.

Professor of Law David Schleicher was interviewed for a National Public Radio segment about the recent push for D.C. statehood.

Monday, May 11, 2020


Reasonable Conditions for State and Local Aid

David Schleicher is Professor of Law at Yale Law School.

Tuesday, April 28, 2020


Can States Declare Bankruptcy? Mitch McConnell Floated the Option But Experts Say Current Law Doesn't Allow It

Professor of Law David Schleicher is quoted in Newsweek about whether or not states can declare bankruptcy.

Monday, April 27, 2020


Can states file for bankruptcy? Should they? What you need to know

Professor of Law David Schleicher is quoted in PolitiFact about whether states can declare bankruptcy.

Monday, April 27, 2020


The States Are Toast — A Commentary by David Schleicher

David Schleicher is Professor of Law at Yale Law School.

Friday, April 3, 2020


America has no federal response to this crisis

Professor of Law David Schleicher is quoted in Vox about the lack of federal response to the COVID-19 crisis.

Wednesday, July 31, 2019


To Fix Its Housing Crunch, One U.S. City Takes Aim at the Single-Family Home

Professor of Law David N. Schleicher is quoted about the new urban plan for Minneapolis that ends single-family zoning.

Friday, July 26, 2019


Dysfunctional Federalism

Professor of Law David N. Schleicher is interviewed on a podcast about why state and local politics don’t work anymore.

Monday, July 8, 2019


New York’s Socialist Revolution Isn’t What It Seems

Professor of Law David N. Schleicher's work on how people vote in local elections is cited in an article about the rise of left-leaning candidates in New York State.

Tuesday, July 2, 2019


Democrats are Learning the Wrong Lesson from Donald Trump

A paper by Professor of Law David N. Schleicher is referenced in an analysis of the Democrats' strategy for 2020.

Monday, July 1, 2019


2019’s Best- & Worst-Run Cities in America

Professor of Law David N. Schleicher is featured in a Q & A on what makes a city well run and other issues U.S. cities face.

Thursday, January 31, 2019


Chicago aldermen might be even more powerful than you think

Professor of Law David Schleicher is quoted in an article about how aldermanic power in Chicago compares to other big cities.

Thursday, September 6, 2018


What ‘Adult Entertainment,’ Puerto Rico And Chapter 9 Bankruptcy Have In Common

Scholarship by Professor of Law David Schleicher and Aurelia Chaudhury ’16 is cited in an article about municipal bankruptcy.

Thursday, August 30, 2018


The National Implications of Oklahoma’s GOP Primary

Professor of Law David Schleicher is cited in an article about Oklahoma’s recent GOP primary.

Wednesday, July 11, 2018


Cities In Distress: What Chicago's Bankruptcy May Look Like—A Commentary by Adam Levitin and David Schleicher

Adam J. Levitin is the Agnes N. Williams Research Professor and Professor of Law at Georgetown University and David Schleicher is a Professor of Law at Yale Law School.

Thursday, June 21, 2018


The Wealthy Atlanta Suburb Fighting to Secede From Its City

Professor of Law David Schleicher is quoted in an article about a wealthy Georgia suburb that wants to succeed from its city.

Thursday, June 7, 2018


The market for driverless cars will head towards monopoly

Professor of Law David Schleicher is cited in an article about the market for driverless vehicles.

Wednesday, May 23, 2018


Town Hall: Divided Power: The Re-Emergence of Federalism and the 17th Amendment

Professor of Law David Schleicher took part in a forum where he discussed whether the 17th Amendment should be repealed.

Tuesday, April 24, 2018


The housing crisis isn’t just about affordability—it’s about economic mobility, too

Professor of Law David Schleicher is quoted in an article about economic mobility.

Monday, April 2, 2018


2018’s States with the Best & Worst Taxpayer ROI

Professor of Law David Schleicher was interviewed about which states get the best value for their tax money.

Wednesday, February 21, 2018


Voting Booth To The Mailbox: Malloy Pushes For Electoral Reform

Professor of Law David Schleicher is quoted in an article about electoral reforms proposed by Connecticut governor Dannel Malloy.

Thursday, January 25, 2018


Getting America on the move requires Americans to move

Scholarship by Professor of Law David Schleicher is the basis of an article about declining mobility in the United States.

Saturday, January 20, 2018


Why driverless cars may mean jams tomorrow

A study co-authored by Professor of Law David Schleicher is cited in an article about driverless cars.

Tuesday, January 16, 2018


Political Economy Podcast-Ep. 89: Our Stagnant Labor Market

Professor of Law David Schleicher is the guest on a podcast where he discussed his Yale Law Journal article: "Stuck! The Law and Economics of Residential Stagnation."

Friday, December 29, 2017


Should Mayoral, Council Candidates Have To Declare A Party Affiliation?

Professor of Law David Schleicher was interviewed about non-partisan elections.

Thursday, December 28, 2017


The Most Expensive Mile of Subway on Earth

Professor of Law David Schleicher is quoted in a feature about the cost of transit projects in New York.

Wednesday, December 6, 2017


What Happened to the American Boomtown?

Professor of Law David Schleicher is quoted in an article about the current state of the American boomtown.

Wednesday, November 22, 2017


How the State Can Make Inequality Worse

Professor of Law David Schleicher is cited in an article about how zoning can increase inequality through the location of new housing. 

Wednesday, November 8, 2017


What Texas Can Teach Democrats About Defending Sanctuary Cities

Professor of Law David Schleicher is cited in an article about sanctuary cities.

Wednesday, October 25, 2017


How Airbnb and Uber are redistributing wealth in America

Professor of Law David Schleicher was part of a panel about the sharing economy.

Friday, September 15, 2017


In Detroit, the end of blight is in sight

Professor of Law David Schleicher is quoted in an article about the rebuilding of Detroit.

Thursday, September 7, 2017


The Impact of Local Laws

David Schleicher received tenure and was appointed Professor of Law at Yale Law School on July 1, 2017. On the occasion of Schleicher’s promotion, we asked him a few questions about his research and teaching.

Tuesday, July 25, 2017


A legal fight over New York City dog-sitters highlights a bigger problem in America

Professor of Law David Schleicher is quoted in an article about regulation and the sharing economy.

Tuesday, July 11, 2017


Common Interpretation: The Seventeenth Amendment

Professor of Law David Schleicher took part in a written debate on the Seventeenth Amendment as part of the Interactive Constitution project.

Monday, May 22, 2017


David Schleicher on Local and State Regulation and Declining Mobility

Associate Professor of Law David Schleicher was a guest on a podcast where he discussed how government regulations have led to a significant decline in inter-state mobility.

Friday, May 19, 2017


America’s declining mobility has millennials feeling stuck

Associate Professor of Law David Schleicher is quoted in an article on the declining domestic migration rates among millennials.

Monday, April 24, 2017


If you really respect Trump voters, tell them the truth

Associate Professor of Law David Schleicher is cited in an article.

Thursday, February 23, 2017


Anatomy of a NIMBY

Associate Professor of Law David Schleicher is cited in an article about the consequences of restricting housing construction.

Friday, February 10, 2017


Why We Can’t Have Nice Things

Associate Professor of Law David Schleicher is cited in an article about the high cost of infrastructure projects in America.

Wednesday, February 8, 2017


Staying Put: Why Nobody’s Moving Right Now

Associate Professor of Law David Scheicher was a guest where he discussed mobility in America.

Thursday, February 2, 2017


America the Stuck

Associate Professor of Law David Schleicher is quoted in an article on mobility among American workers.

Tuesday, January 17, 2017


Make HUD Great Again: A Trump-friendly housing agenda that might actually help working- and middle-class families.

A study co-authored by Associate Professor of Law David Schleicher is cited in an article about the potential for HUD reforms under Ben Carson, nominated for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

Tuesday, January 17, 2017


Where the Second Avenue Subway Went Wrong

Associate Professor of Law David Schleicher is quoted in an article on the costs of American infrastructure projects compared to those in other countries.

Thursday, December 22, 2016


Second Avenue subway cost concerns transit experts

Associate Professor of Law David N. Schleicher is quoted about construction efficiencies in urban areas.

Friday, October 21, 2016


Subtract and divide: Both economic hardship and racial divisions fuel support for Donald Trump

Associate Professor of Law David Schleicher is cited in an Economist article about the political polarization in America and abroad.

Tuesday, October 18, 2016


Moving vans more powerful than ballot boxes

Associate Professor of Law David Schleicher is mentioned in an article about barriers to inter-state migration.

Tuesday, September 20, 2016


Getting People Where the Jobs Are—A Commentary by David Schleicher

Professor Schleicher is an Associate Professor of Law at Yale Law School.

Saturday, May 21, 2016


Editorial: Breaking the battle lines over housing

Associate Professor of Law David Schleicher is mentioned in an editorial about tax rebates for homeowners.

Wednesday, May 18, 2016


Are Prosecutors the Key to Justice Reform?

Associate Professor of Law David Schleicher is quoted in an article about the role of the prosecutor in the justice system.

Saturday, April 16, 2016


Terms of enlargement

Studies on urban planning by Associate Professor of Law David Schleicher are cited.

Thursday, April 14, 2016


This San Francisco council member has a clever idea to address the coastal housing shortage

Studies on urban planning by Associate Professor of Law David Schleicher are cited.

Friday, April 8, 2016


Why U.S. Infrastructure Costs So Much

A study co-authored by Associate Professor of Law David Schleicher is cited in an article about the cost of infrastructure projects in the U.S.

Monday, January 11, 2016


How Old is Donald Trump?

Associate Professor of Law David Schleicher is cited in an article on Donald Trump.

Wednesday, September 23, 2015


Can ‘Planning’ Deregulate Land Use?—A Commentary by Roderick M. Hills and David Schleicher

Roderick M. Hills Jr. is the William T. Comfort III Professor of Law at New York University School of Law and David Schleicher is an Associate Professor of Law at Yale Law School.

Wednesday, August 26, 2015


If you want to understand Donald Trump, look to the success of the European far-right

A paper by Associate Professor of Law David Schleicher is cited in an article about the rise of Donald Trump from a global perspective.

Monday, March 2, 2015


David Schleicher to Join Yale Law School Faculty in July as Associate Professor of Law

Dean Robert C. Post ’77 has announced the appointment of David Schleicher to the Yale Law School faculty.