Georgetown Law

Professor Hempling is an Administrative Law Judge at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Before his June 2021 appointment, he worked as a litigator, appellate counsel, regulatory advisor, arbitrator and expert witness, appearing before federal and state courts and commissions, arbitration panels, U.S. congressional committees and state legislative committees. His electricity clients have included all industry sectors: state regulatory commissions and attorneys general, utilities, consumer advocates, independent competitors, regional transmission organizations, municipal and rural cooperative systems, environmental organizations and labor unions.

He has authored three books: Regulating Public Utility Performance: The Law of Market Structure, Pricing and Jurisdiction (Amer. Bar Assoc. 2d ed. 2021); Regulating Mergers and Acquisitions of U.S. Electric Utilities: Industry Concentration and Corporate Complication (Edward Elgar 2020); and Preside or Lead? The Attributes and Actions of Effective Regulators (2d ed. 2013). His articles include “Litigation Adversaries and Public Interest Partners: Practice Principles for New Regulatory Lawyers,” Energy Law Journal (Spring 2015); “Inconsistent with the Public Interest: FERC’s Three Decades of Deference to Electricity Consolidation,” Energy Law Journal (Fall 2018); and others addressing corporate structure, conversion of monopoly markets into competitive markets, formula rates, transmission planning, renewable energy and state–federal relations.

Professor Hempling has lectured on utility law and policy throughout the U.S. and in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Central America, England, Germany, India, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Peru and Vanuatu. From 2006 to 2011, he was Executive Director of the National Regulatory Research Institute.

He received a B.A. cum laude from Yale University in 1978 (Economics and Political Science, Music); and a J.D. magna cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center in 1984. At Georgetown he teaches public utility law and has taught administrative litigation. A cellist, Judge Hempling performs at High Holy Day services for the Riderwood Jewish Community.