Directory Kent Barnett, B.A., J.D.

Kent Barnett, B.A., J.D.

Dean; J. Gilbert Reese Chair in Contract Law
Dean Kent Barnett headshot image in a gray suit with red tie Dean Kent Barnett headshot image in a gray suit with red tie
Contact
614-292-0574
barnett.835@osu.edu
Expertise

Kent Barnett is the 21st dean of the Michael E. Moritz College of Law at The Ohio State University and the J. Gilbert Reese Chair in Contract Law. He is focused on bringing people in—by enriching the College’s inclusive community and increasing financial support for students—and then bringing them up—by focusing on community-building, career development, and rigorous legal training.

As a scholar of separation of powers and administrative law, his scholarship has been published in, among other places, the New York University, Michigan, Duke, Vanderbilt, and Notre Dame Law Reviews. Barnett’s work has been cited by leading administrative law casebooks, federal district and appellate courts, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He has taught contracts and sales, consumer law, legal ethics, and administrative law.

Prior to joining Ohio State, Barnett served as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the J. Alton Hosch Professor at the University of Georgia School of Law. He received the C. Ronald Ellington Award for Excellence in Teaching, the school’s highest teaching honor, and was selected to serve as a faculty marshal by three graduating classes for commencement ceremonies. Barnett also clerked for Judge John Rogers of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and practiced law at Weil, Gotshal & Manges in its complex commercial litigation and appellate groups. 

After years as is an appointed public member, Barnett is a Senior Fellow of the Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS) and was the chair of AALS Administrative Law Section.

 

To connect with Dean Barnett, please reach out to his Executive Assistant, Tara Weld at 614-688-4151 or weld.3@osu.edu. 

Faculty
Jul. 01, 2024
Faculty
Jul. 01, 2024

Incoming Dean Kent Barnett’s Scholarship Cited by U.S. Supreme Court

Justice Elena Kagan cited two of incoming dean Kent Barnett’s co-authored articles in her dissent to the ruling in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo. The ruling overturns a precedent set in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council, a 1984 ruling which required courts to defer to an agency’s reasonable interpretation of a statute that the agency administered. Barnett's scholarship about the Chevron deference has previously been published in several journals, including the George Mason Law Review and the Vanderbilt Law Review.  

College
Jun. 04, 2024
College
Jun. 04, 2024

Kent Barnett Named Dean of Moritz College of Law

The Ohio State University is excited to welcome Kent Barnett as the 21st dean of the Moritz College of Law. Barnett comes to Ohio State from his position as associate dean for academic affairs and the J. Alton Hosch Professor of Law at the University of Georgia School of Law. His term begins August 15.

Kent Barnett, Administrative Law (6th ed. 2025).

Kent Barnett & Christopher J. Walker, Chevron and Stare Decisis, 31 Geo. Mason L. Rev. 475 (2024) (symposium essay).

Kent Barnett, How Chevron Deference Fits into Article III, 89 Geo. Wash. L. Rev. 1143 (2021)

Kent Barnett & Lindsey Vinson, Chevron Abroad, 96 Notre Dame L. Rev. 621 (2020)

Kent Barnett, Regulating Impartiality in Agency Adjudication, 69 Duke L.J. 1695 (2020) (symposium article).

Kent Barnett, Some Kind of Hearing Officer, 94 Wash. L. Rev. 515 (2019)

Kent Barnett, Due Process for Article III, 26 Geo. Mason L. Rev. 677 (2019) (symposium article).

Kent Barnett, Towards Optimal Enforcement, 72 Vand. L. Rev. En Banc 127 (2019)

Kent Barnett, Christina L. Boyd & Christopher J. Walker, Administrative Law’s Political Dynamics, 71 Vand. L. Rev. 1463 (2018)

Kent Barnett, Christina L. Boyd & Christopher J. Walker, The Politics of Selecting Chevron Deference, 15 Empirical L. Stud. 597 (2018) (peer-reviewed).

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