Michael B. Runnels, J.D.
Michael B. Runnels, J.D. is an Associate Professor of Business Law at California State University, Los Angeles, and Legal Advisor at AstroForge, an asteroid mining company based in Huntington Beach, California. With over 18 years of experience in legal academia, Mike is a pioneering scholar in space law and environmental regulation, particularly known for developing legal frameworks to address orbital debris and ensure the sustainability of low Earth orbit for commercial and government use.
His groundbreaking research on space law, artificial intelligence ethics, and corporate social responsibility has been cited over 267 times and published in leading legal journals. Mike is a featured speaker at the International Space Development Conference and is recognized as a thought leader in the emerging field of commercial space law.
He advocates for environmental protections that balance innovation in the space economy with the long-term sustainability of Earth’s orbital environment. Read Protecting Earth and Space Industries from Orbital Debris: Implementing the Outer Space Treaty to Fill the Regulatory Vacuum in the FCC’s Orbital Debris Guidelines.
As Legal Advisor for AstroForge since 2023, Mike provides critical legal guidance for the company’s pioneering asteroid mining missions. AstroForge made history in October 2024 by receiving the first-ever Federal Communications Commission commercial deep space license, authorizing the company to establish communication networks over vast distances for its Odin mission.
Since many proposed activities in the emerging space economy remain unregulated, particularly asteroid mining operations, Mike advises on complex regulatory issues spanning commercial space operations, property rights in celestial resources, and compliance with the Outer Space Treaty. His expertise helps AstroForge navigate the uncharted legal landscape as the company pursues the extraction of platinum group metals from asteroids. Read Who Owns Space? The Legal Battle Brewing Over Asteroid Mining.
Mike’s scholarly work focuses on developing model legislation to address the looming crisis of orbital debris in low Earth orbit. His publications argue that America’s leadership in space activities, combined with SpaceX owning more satellites than any single country, uniquely positions the United States to fill the regulatory void through domestic laws that can serve as the foundation for bilateral and multilateral treaty negotiations.
His research describes LEO as a classical “tragedy of the commons” and draws from analyses by NASA, the Government Accountability Office, the Congressional Budget Office, and the United Nations to propose specific legal solutions. Read On An American Strategy to Forge Global Space Law to Curtail Orbital Debris in the New Space Age.
In his influential 2023 article in the American Business Law Journal, Mike presented draft legislation to enhance space traffic management safety and incentivize sustainable low Earth orbital environments. The article proposes two key reforms: requiring the FCC to adopt specific regulations mandating commercial space operators to share data, assess collision possibilities, and use appropriate satellite tracking technology; and clarifying that the National Environmental Policy Act applies to satellite operations, requiring operators to file environmental assessments as a licensing condition.
His 2023 publication in the Journal of Air Law and Commerce tackled the question of who should pay when orbital debris compromises Earth’s satellite-dependent infrastructure and causes environmental damage. Read On Who Should Pay When Orbital Debris “Trickles-Down” in a Tragedy of the Low Earth Orbit Commons.
Mike’s article On Launching Environmental Law into Orbit in the Age of Satellite Constellations addressed the implications of the Supreme Court’s 2022 West Virginia v. EPA decision on federal rulemaking for orbital debris. The publication provides arguments for protecting Earth’s orbital environment under the National Environmental Policy Act. His work on space law has been recognized and cited by subsequent scholars addressing satellite industry regulations and orbital debris mitigation obligations. Read Advancements in Space Law: Satellite Communications Industry Regulations and Obligations for Orbital Debris Mitigation.
Beyond space law, Mike addresses critical issues in artificial intelligence ethics. His February 2025 article On Addressing Algorithmic Discrimination Through Developing Responsible Artificial Intelligence Consortiums, responds to federal regulators’ April 2023 announcement of plans to enforce civil rights laws against AI systems that perpetuate discrimination. The article addresses concerns about “digital redlining”, where faulty datasets and poor design choices create AI systems that exacerbate discrimination in hiring, credit, and housing decisions.
The publication proposes that companies using AI form consortia to share data and develop responsible artificial intelligence frameworks, recognizing that competitive pressures and shareholder profit obligations create environments in which companies hoard potentially sensitive training data critical to evaluating and addressing algorithmic discrimination.
Earlier in his career, Mike conducted extensive research on corporate social responsibility and new governance frameworks. His 2010 article Corporate Social Responsibility and the New Governance: In Search of Epstein’s Good Company in the Employment Context, applied the Good Company framework to employment law challenges facing transnational corporations, addressing child labor policies, employer-employee bargaining, and workplace ethics of care.
Mike served as Associate Professor of Law and Social Responsibility at Loyola University Maryland from 2013 to 2020, where he held numerous leadership positions. He served as Chair of the Faculty Affairs Committee from 2016 to 2019, a role created to advocate for faculty rights and welfare in policy negotiations with university administrators since Loyola faculty were not unionized.
He chaired the Graduate Curriculum Committee from 2015 to 2017, the Sellinger Faculty Assembly from 2014 to 2016, and served as Interim Chair of the Law and Social Responsibility Department from 2013 to 2014. Prior to his promotion, he was Assistant Professor of Law and Social Responsibility at Loyola from 2007 to 2013.
Between 2015 and 2020, Mike served as Visiting Professor at the Beijing Institute of Technology in Haidian District, Beijing, China. He taught International Business Law from 2015 to 2017 and Business Ethics from 2017 to 2020 to international MBA students.
Mike earned his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law in 2007, where he served as Senior Articles Editor of the Fordham Journal of Corporate and Financial Law. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Government from The University of Georgia in 2001. During his undergraduate studies, Mike had the opportunity to study abroad at Keble College, University of Oxford in England for a semester in 1998, an experience that enriched his global perspective on legal and political systems.
Mike has been recognized for his teaching excellence at both California State University, Los Angeles, and Loyola University Maryland. Student evaluations consistently praise his engaging, discussion-based teaching style, which encourages critical thinking and the real-world application of legal principles.
Visit his LinkedIn profile, Google Scholar page, ResearchGate profile, and Academia.edu page.