Article: How Deep Are the Springs of Obedience Norms that Bind the Overseers of Charities?

Johnny Rex Buckles (University of Houston Law Center) recently published, How Deep Are the Springs of Obedience Norms that Bind the Overseers of Charities?, 2025. Provided below is an Abstract: 

The laws of every state impose norms of obedience on directors and trustees of charitable organizations. However, statutory rules and case law advancing these norms vary widely across the nation. Moreover, legal reformers and academic commentators cast competing visions of how the law should implement obedience norms. This article explains the basic nature of obedience norms governing directors and trustees of charities, articulates and illustrates various types of obedience norms, discusses legal authorities supporting various obedience norms, evaluates the policy concerns underlying obedience norms, and suggests how the law imposing obedience norms on charity managers should develop.