SI
SI
discoversearch

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor.  We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community.  If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.
Politics : Sioux Nation
DJT 14.00+2.7%Jan 8 3:59 PM EST
 Public ReplyPrvt ReplyMark as Last ReadFilePrevious 10Next 10PreviousNext  
To: koan who wrote (159239)1/29/2009 12:03:22 AM
From: Mac Con Ulaidh1 Recommendation  Read Replies (2) of 362152
 
Obama Hires Another Lawyer Who Battled Bush’s Secrecy

To my mind, one of the more interesting storylines unfolding right now is President Obama’s ongoing appointment to the Office of Legal Counsel of lawyers who strongly opposed George W. Bush’s use of the war on terror to justify dramatic expansions of executive power.

Now the White House has just announced yet another such appointment to a key post: Mary De Rosa will be Deputy Counsel to the President for National Security Affairs and Legal Adviser to the National Security Council.

That will make human rights advocates very happy. De Rosa was most recently chief counsel for national security for Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Patrick Leahy, who has spent years pushing for the release of secret Justice Department legal opinions justifying the Bush administration’s use of harsh interrogation techniques.

That means De Rosa was in the center of efforts to force the Bush administration to legally justify his war on terror in the eyes of the public, and suggests that she may be a strong advocate from within for releasing such documents as the Obama administration decides how far it wants to go in this direction.

“The fact that she worked for Leahy is a promising sign,” one prominent human rights lawyer just told me. “At a time when the Bush administration was defending lawless policies at Guantanamo Bay and on torture, Senator Leahy was a reliable advocate for government transparency and a defender of the rule of law.”

Similarly, the White House has already announced the appointments to the Office of Legal Counsel of three leading opponents of Bush’s legal approach: Dawn Johnsen, Martin Lederman, and David Barron.

Meanwhile, things are heating up big time on this front in another way: The ACLU is calling on the Obama administration to release the Bush administration’s torture memos.

Update: Ben Smith points out that another key appointment announced by Obama today is Harvard law prof Daniel Meltzer, who argued in favor of inquiry into the legality of detaining people at Guantanamo.

theplumline.whorunsgov.com
Report TOU ViolationShare This Post
 Public ReplyPrvt ReplyMark as Last ReadFilePrevious 10Next 10PreviousNext  

HomeMailHotSubjectMarksPeopleMarksKeepersSettings
Terms Of UseContact UsCopyright/IP PolicyPrivacy PolicyAbout UsFAQAdvertise on SI
© 2026 Knight Sac Media.  Data provided by Twelve Data, Alpha Vantage, and CityFALCON News