Government Governance and the Need to Reconcile Government Regulation with Board Fiduciary Duties

Corporate governance scandals inevitably raise concerns about the extent to which corporate directors failed in their responsibility to monitor the corporation and its managers, especially in terms of the latter\u27s’ misdeeds. Corporate governance reforms strive to shore up directors\u27 roles by seeking to ensure that boards have sufficient incentives to engage in effective oversight and to hold the boards more accountable. The current financial crisis has ushered in an era of significant government reform of the financial system and involvement in corporate governance matters. Such involvement has increased board of directors\u27 responsibilities but has not reconciled those responsibilities with board functions and fiduciary law, at least in Delaware. The lack of reconciliation not only represents a missed opportunity to reconsider boards\u27 proper role and function within the modern public corporation, but also may undermine the effectiveness of reforms