About: David Halperin
Twitter: @DaHalperin
Bio: David Halperin is the co-founder and editor of Republic Report. Halperin, a self-employed lawyer based in Washington DC, engages in public advocacy, investigative work, and legal representation on a wide range of issues, including higher education, climate change, democracy, corruption, open government, and national security. He also advises organizations and companies on strategy, policy, communications, and legal matters. He is of counsel to Public.Resource.org, a non-profit focused on making legal and government materials available for free to the public.
Halperin’s investigative and advocacy work on predatory for-profit colleges since 2010 has spurred reforms in policy and regulations, triggered law enforcement investigations, and led to the closure of numerous deceptive schools.
Halperin was from 2004 until 2012 the founding director of Campus Progress and senior vice president at the Center for American Progress. Before that, he was: senior policy advisor for Howard Dean’s 2004 presidential campaign; founding executive director of the American Constitution Society; White House speechwriter and special assistant for national security affairs to President Clinton; co-founder of the Internet company Progressive Networks (now called RealNetworks); counsel to the Senate Intelligence Committee; law clerk to U.S. District Judge Gerhard A. Gesell (D.D.C.); research assistant to Robert S. McNamara; and research analyst at the Arms Control Association.
Halperin has represented clients in the U.S. Supreme Court and various state and federal courts. Among many other efforts, Halperin helped represent Greenpeace in an unprecedented 2004 Miami criminal jury trial over protest activity, resulting in a directed verdict of acquittal; aided climate groups facing investigation by the House Science Committee during 2015-16; and represented Public Resource in landmark copyright litigation from 2012 to 2024 over efforts to make federal regulations publicly available online without charge.
Halperin writes at Republic Report, and his articles also have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, The Nation, Politico, Slate, Foreign Policy, and other outlets. In recent years he has testified before the House Oversight Committee and at several federal agencies, and he has spoken at major conferences and events across the country. Halperin has served since 2007 on the board of directors of Public Citizen.
Halperin graduated from Yale College and Yale Law School.
Accreditors, Education Department Limit Public Access to Findings on Troubled Colleges
Accrediting agencies — the private gatekeepers charged by the U.S. Department of Education with issuing the approvals that make colleges eligible for student financial aid — sometimes send letters to schools describing violations of rules and establishing penalties. These letters, when posted online, can help the public, including students, understand devel0pments and misconduct at schools.
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Biden Debt Relief For Ripped-Off Art Institutes Students Is A Big Step. More Is Needed.
The U.S. Department of Education announced last week that it has approved more than $6.1 billion in automatic student loan debt cancellation for about 317,000 borrowers who attended the for-profit college chain The Art Institutes between January 2004 and October 2017. “This institution falsified data, knowingly misled students, and cheated borrowers into taking on mountains
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University of Phoenix Paying $4.5 Million to Settle California Charges It Deceived Troops
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Thursday that the University of Phoenix has agreed to pay $4.5 million to settle allegations that the for-profit college engaged in aggressive and illegal recruitment tactics directed at military service members, in violation of California consumer protection laws and Department of Defense rules. In a press release, Bonta said
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Grand Canyon U Fuels Right-Wing Claims That Cardona Vows to Shutter It, Scaring Wall Street
Grand Canyon University, which bills itself as a Christian school and is the largest recipient of federal aid of any American college or university, is once again revving up the right-wing echo chamber to claim it is facing an unwarranted assault from the U.S. Department of Education. Now, GCU’s surrogates charge the attack is aimed
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Flailing U of Idaho President Accuses Phoenix Deal Critics of “Misinformation”
University of Idaho president C. Scott Green this week reaffirmed his determination to acquire the troubled for-profit University of Phoenix, despite the mounting opposition in his state and the growing evidence that the proposed $685 million purchase could be a disaster for the school and the state of Idaho. He also leveled false attacks on
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Right-Wing Appeals Judges Block Biden Rule Aimed at Cancelling Debts for Students Scammed by Their Colleges
The New Orleans-based United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, stacked with right-wing judges and seemingly bent on nullifying a wide range of federal rules, has just taken a hard swing at the Biden administration’s borrower defense rule, a set of regulations aimed at making it possible for students who can show they
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Under Fire for UAGC Deal, University of Arizona President Stepping Down
University of Arizona president Robert Robbins announced today that he is stepping down, as criticism has mounted, including from Arizona governor Katie Hobbs, over his handling of the acquisition of for-profit Ashford University, which had a long record of deceiving lower-income students, and over U of A’s related financial turmoil. “I informed the regents this
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Walden U Will Pay $28.5 Million to Settle Claims It Deceived Black and Female Students
For-profit Walden University has agreed to pay $28.5 million to settle a class action lawsuit alleging that the school used false advertising aimed at Black and female students. Walden also agreed to make significant changes in its programs and disclosures to students. The settlement had been flagged in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing last
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