Outstanding economist Bryan Caplan and political commentator Richard Hanania have began a “Sixteen Enjoyable Info About Me” meme on their respective blogs/substacks. Right here is my checklist (in tough chronological order):
1. I used to be born within the then-Soviet Union. As an toddler and toddler, I spent a whole lot of time within the hospital, attributable to varied illnesses. One time, a nurse requested my mom if I used to be her solely baby. She mentioned sure. “That is unlucky,” the nurse commented, with usually terrible Soviet bedside method, “as a result of this one most likely will not dwell.” Happily, the nurse turned out to be improper, and I survived.
2. I did not learn to learn in both English or Russian till the age of eight – a consequence of lack of motivation and attainable undiagnosed dyslexia. However after I lastly did be taught, I virtually instantly began studying grownup books, fairly than these meant for teenagers. My daughter Lydia – most likely the member of the family most like me – did not be taught to learn till the age of 9. A consequence of dyslexia which did get identified. We spent many hours memorizing sight phrases together with her to beat it. When Lydia did lastly be taught, the primary e book she learn on her personal was the basic science fiction novel Ender’s Sport, which is meant for adults.
3. I grew up within the Boston space and have been a giant Boston sports activities fan since I used to be about 9. The primary crew I adopted carefully was the 1982-83 Boston Bruins, who had the perfect report within the NHL, however misplaced within the convention finals within the playoffs (I am nonetheless mad about that). My favourite participant was Rick “Nifty” Middleton, the Bruins’ main goalscorer. Looking back, the perfect participant on the crew was really Ray Bourque, who went on to grow to be one of many two or three finest defensemen ever, and arguably the second-greatest Bruin after Bobby Orr.
4. In center college and highschool, I typically labored as a babysitter. I want I may say I did it to interrupt down gender stereotypes (most babysitters are feminine, which was much more true again then). However the true cause was that I discovered babysitting much less onerous and ugly than mowing lawns, and different yard work. A five-year-old I sat for as soon as advised me that he obeyed me excess of his dad and mom. I requested why that’s. “As a result of,” he mentioned, “once you inform me to do one thing, I do know you actually imply it.” Once I grew to become a guardian myself, a few years later, I got here to know why it is laborious to “actually imply it” when disciplining your individual children.
5. My first official on-the-books job was working on the Lexington, MA public library after I was 15. I had the impressive-sounding title of “Assistant Librarian.” However the precise work was stacking and reshelving books. A lot of the time, I couldn’t resist the temptation to learn the books, as a substitute of stacking them. My supervisor ultimately bought uninterested in this, and advised me I needed to both give up or be fired. I resigned to spend extra time with my household.
6. My most important extracurricular exercise in highschool was the talk crew. One time, after we have been getting ready for a event, we determined ought to name Harvard philosophy Prof. John Rawls (who lived in Lexington) for recommendation on an argument we have been growing. My teammate Anjan Mukherjee (who later went on to grow to be a outstanding financier) mentioned I must be the one to name Rawls. “You must speak to him,” he mentioned, “since you guys have lots in widespread.” The concept that a world-famous political thinker had something in widespread with an obscure highschool sophomore appeared completely ridiculous. However I known as Rawls anyway, and he generously spent half an hour on the cellphone answering my questions. We did not be taught something that was helpful for the event (Rawls mentioned he hadn’t considered our subject). However the story grew to become a minor debate-world legend. I recounted it in a bit extra element in my 2010 immigration memoir (pp. 25-26).
7. I grew to become a libertarian later that very same yr, after I learn Robert Nozick’s Anarchy, State, and Utopia(Nozick was Rawls’ nice critic and rival). In distinction to most younger libertarians of my era and the one earlier than, I used to be by no means a lot influenced by Ayn Rand, although I respect her achievements in turning into one of many greatest-ever popularizers of libertarian concepts (which isn’t in any respect how she noticed herself!).
8. The primary lady I ever fell in love with was a highschool debate opponent. My trigger was just about doomed from the beginning, partly as a result of she was two years older (a giant distinction at that age). However we stored in contact in later years.
9. In several life circumstances (particularly if born within the US fairly than the Soviet Union), I can see myself probably turning into a left-liberal or (much less doubtless) even a socialist. However I feel I may by no means have been a social conservative or a nationalist. I am too skeptical of authority and custom to be a social conservative. And the illogical and anti-intellectual nature of most nationalist ideology is completely inimical to me. I hate each socialism and nationalism, and acknowledge that the previous has the upper physique depend of victims, together with the single greatest mass homicide in the complete historical past of the world. However the hostility to nationalism is extra intuitive and visceral. Not coincidentally, my favourite amongst my many nonacademic publications might be “The Case Towards Nationalism” (coauthored with Alex Nowrasteh).
10. The summer season after my freshman yr at Amherst School, I labored as an intern on the Cato Institute. They assigned me to be a analysis assistant for legendary economist Julian Simon, well-known for being the creator of The Final Useful resource. Simon’s brilliance was unbelievable. However the job went badly, partly as a result of he wasn’t all the time clear about what he needed, and I did not attempt laborious sufficient to determine it out; loads of blame to go round! In later years, I made positive to be extra clear with my very own RAs. Cato generously missed this rocky begin to our relationship. They made me an adjunct scholar in 2008, and ultimately their B. Kenneth Simon Chair in Constitutional Research in 2022 (along with my main job as a legislation professor at George Mason College).
11. If I preferred math and was good at it, I would properly have grow to be an economist. However, sadly, I am fairly dangerous at it, and I actually hate doing it. Thus, I went to political science graduate college at Harvard. Finally, I made a decision to do a joint diploma with Yale Regulation Faculty, with a view to probably turning into a legislation professor. I selected that path as a result of 1) the legislation professor job market appeared a bit much less aggressive than that in political science and a couple of) the male-female ratio in poli sci grad college was closely skewed in direction of the previous, and I believed I might have a greater probability of discovering a girlfriend in legislation college. When college students ask me about my profession selections, I emphasize that 2 was not actually a great criterion for selecting a graduate program! If mandatory, discover dates outdoors of faculty.
12. The summer season after my first yr in legislation college, I labored as a pupil legislation clerk on the Institute for Justice, a serious public curiosity legislation agency. One of many circumstances I labored on was CRDA v. Banin, during which Donald Trump had influenced Atlantic Metropolis to make use of eminent area to take an aged lady’s home in order that he may construct a car parking zone for considered one of his casinoes on the location. The court docket ultimately invalidated the taking as a result of it was not for a “public use,” as required by the state structure. This expertise helped stimulate an curiosity in constitutional property rights, which later grew to become a serious focus of my analysis agenda as a tutorial.
13. Within the fall of 1998, I interviewed for summer season affiliate positions at varied New York and Washington, DC legislation corporations. One of many interviewers who got here to Yale that yr was future Supreme Court docket Justice Brett Kavanaugh. He really useful that his agency invite me for a “name again” interview at their workplaces in DC. However, afterwards, I did not get the summer season affiliate supply. Often, college students who bought a name again interview have been virtually assured to get summer season affiliate positions. I e-mailed Kavanaugh to ask what went improper. He mentioned he needed to rent me, however companions on the agency mentioned “no” as a result of they thought I used to be too prone to depart the agency to grow to be a tutorial. The companions weren’t improper!
14. I met my future spouse, Alison, at an Institute for Humane Research occasion in 2008 (we each beforehand received IHS fellowships). My wooing was aided by the truth that she was a daily reader of the Volokh Conspiracy weblog, and already knew who I used to be. Her favourite amongst my weblog posts was “The Case for Paying Useless Farmers To not Farm As a substitute of Dwelling Ones.” I nonetheless oppose farm subsidies, particularly the sort that search to scale back output fairly than improve it. However supporters can argue they assist bloggers discover spouses, and thereby improve the delivery fee!
15. I’m a longtime science fiction and fantasy fan, and have an extended checklist of publications and weblog posts on varied points associated to the politics of these genres. This hasn’t completed a lot to advance my tutorial profession. But it surely did as soon as get me a talking invitation to go to Australia! This yr, I will be the presenter/keynote speaker on the Libertarian Futurist Society’s annual Prometheus Award ceremony.
16. After turning into a profession tutorial, I didn’t count on to ever do any important litigation. Because the saying goes, those that can not do, educate! However the litigation that led to the invalidation of Trump’s large IEEPA tariffs originated in a weblog submit I wrote in February 2025. Jeff Schwab of the Liberty Justice Heart contacted me about it, and we ultimately agreed I might work with them on a case pursuing the concepts I laid out. I then did a follow-up submit searching for shoppers. One in every of my former college students learn the submit, and confirmed it to his uncle, Victor Schwartz, a wine importer whose enterprise was gravely broken by the tariffs. Victor’s agency, V.O.S. Choices grew to become our lead plaintiff within the case. After virtually a yr of litigation and two decrease court docket wins the Supreme Court docket dominated in our favor. We have been ultimately joined by outstanding Supreme Court docket litigators Michael McConnell and Neal Katyal, and it was Katyal who did the oral argument earlier than the Supreme Court docket. However the weblog submit bought issues began.
