JD Journal » Barack Obama

Mitt Romney Explains Comment about the ‘Very Poor’

jim — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:42:01 +0000

Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, said that he is “not concerned about the very poor,” as he cited the social safety net that is in place for that particular segment of the population. He added that he is more focused on the middle class of the United States.

“I’m in this race because I care about Americans. I’m not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I’ll fix it,” Romney said following his victory in Florida. “I’m not concerned about the very rich, they’re doing just fine. I’m concerned about the very heart of the America, the 90 percent, 95 percent of Americans who right now are struggling.”

When Romney was pressed about his comments he went on to say the following to CNN reporter Soledad O’Brien.

“Well you had to finish the sentence, Soledad,” he replied. “I said ‘I’m not concerned about the very poor that have a safety net but if it has holes in it, I will repair them.’ The challenge right now — we will hear from the Democrat party the plight of the poor. And there’s no question it’s not good being poor and we have a safety net to help those that are very poor. But my campaign is focused on middle-income Americans.”

“We have a very ample safety net,” Romney explained. “And we can talk about whether it needs to be strengthened or whether there are holes in it. But we have food stamps, we have Medicaid, we have housing vouchers, we have programs to help the poor.”

The programs that he is referring to within the safety net are also struggling from the economic recession. One of those programs, Medicaid, is facing cuts as states are trying to balance budgets as more people are using the system. Lawmakers are also trying to make cuts in food stamps as the price of food continues to rise, despite a larger number of Americans using the system because of the recession.

The policies that Romney wants to put in place call for a five percent cut to non-discretionary spending, which would cause a massive blow to the safety net of the country that he speaks of in his comments. Romney also wants to turn Medicaid into a program that utilizes block grants. He has also talked about putting a cap on spending at 20 percent of the GDP, which would be a major cut.

The comments made by Romney continue a pattern of poorly timed and poorly phrased comments that give his opponents a chance to say that he is out of touch with the recession.

“Don’t try and stop the foreclosure process. Let it run its course and hit the bottom,” he said in Las Vegas in October. Las Vegas was the hardest hit metro area in the country.

Romney also said in January that, “I like being able to fire people who provide services to me” to explain why he favored competition among health insurers. “If someone doesn’t give me the good service I need, I want to say I am going to get somebody else to provide that service to me.”

While on a plane to Minneapolis, reporters asked Romney about his comments once again. Romney replied with:

“No, no, no, no, no, no, no. No, no, no. You’ve got to take the whole sentence, alright, it’s mostly the same. If there are people that are falling through the cracks, I want to fix that.”

“President Obama has destroyed the middle class. His policies have given us a stagnant economy, high unemployment, declining wages, increase in poverty, and record amounts of new debt,” said Andrea Saul, a Romney spokesperson. “President Obama is so detached from what is happening in the real world that he finds it hard to believe an unemployed engineer can’t find a job. President Obama calls the plight of the unemployed ‘interesting.’ Mitt Romney calls it ‘inexcusable.’ We look forward debating President Obama on how his policies have failed the middle class.”

President Obama Addresses Nation Tonight

jim — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:51:29 +0000

Tuesday night, President Barack Obama is scheduled to step to the podium in the Capitol Building for his third State of the Union address as the country’s leader. As he does this, the economy of the nation is still the hottest topic of the day while his popularity continues to drop.

Experts are saying Obama will use the speech as a method to boost his campaign in an effort to win another four years in the White House.

“The State of the Union address is a combination of a political speech and a policy speech, because the two things are linked together by our system,” said Duke University political scientist David Rohde.

Obama has also offered previews into what he will discuss on Tuesday night, including income inequality in the country and the role of the government in leveling the playing field for the country’s middle class.

Five items that Obama must accomplish during his address, which begins at 9 p.m., are outlined below:

Obama must be able to remain above the fray by offering a contrast to the harsh campaign ads in the Republican presidential primaries across the country.

“All he has to do is look presidential,” said Hofstra University presidential scholar Meena Bose.

“What Obama as president wants to do is rise above the charges,” Bose said. “The president wants to be on the offensive, not on the defensive.”

Obama must also be able to stress, as much as possible, economic gains in the country. Three years ago, Obama was aided in being elected by the economy. Now, the economy is a rough topic in the country and has become a bulls’ eye for his Republican opponents.

Rohde said, “He has to take it dead on.”

A UCLA political scientist, Lynn Vavreck, said that Obama should stress the three percent GDP growth experienced in the fourth quarter of 2011 and the half percent drop in unemployment over the previous couple of months.

“The winning message is not about the level of unemployment,” Vavreck said. “It’s about the trend line.”

Rohde said that Obama needs to follow this line: “It’s getting better; it’s getting better more quickly recently than before; and the expectation is that it will continue to get better.”

Another must for Obama is that he has to engage congress and he has already done so by saying that he will run against Congress in 2012.

“The president should call on them to shoulder the burden of leadership and policymaking,” Bose said.

Obama also has to show the public that he is hard at work, trying to fix the economy and other problems in the country.

“The overwhelming message of this address is going to be competence and getting things done,” Bose said.

“You’ll really see the benefits of incumbency,” she said.

Obama will finally need to drive home the nail when talking about his themes tonight. He will need to lay out a blueprint for fixing the economy while also offering new ideas for manufacturing jobs, energy and skills training.

“President Obama really needs to show he is in control of the situation, that he has a clear plan and it’s up to Congress to respond,” Bose said.

“Now that things are getting better, don’t change horses midstream.”

Victoria Jackson Claiming Muslim Brotherhood Overtaking U.S.

jim — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:19:01 +0000

Victoria Jackson, the former Saturday Night Live cast member, obtained confidential information that she had special clearance for while working as a web talk show host. Jackson claims that the United States is being overrun by radical Muslims who are bent on bringing the nation under Sharia Law, according to the Huffington Post.

“I just went to a briefing in Washington DC, across the street from the Capitol, at the Longworth building at 8:30 am two days ago and it changed my life,” Jackson said last week on her web show, “Politichicks.” “For six hours, I saw pictures and names and dates and facts and Islamic law books and Korans, Surahs for six hours and they proved to me… that the Muslim Brotherhood has infiltrated our highest positions in government and this is serious.”

Jackson, the actress who turned pundit, also reported testimony from Major Stephen Coughlin. Coughlin was fired from his post back in 2008 at the Joint Chiefs of Staff because many beliebe that he was an anti-Islamic extremist advocate. It was reported that Coughlin’s contract was not renewed when a Gordon England staffer raised questions about his work. At the time, England was the deputy secretary of defense. In January, Coughlin issued a speech during a presentation to the FBI on Muslim extremism.

Jackson claims in the video that hints were dropped of President Obama being a Muslim because is policies favor Muslims and are against Israel. Jackson also claims to have been told that ultimatums used by terrorist groups in the country include conversion or death.

Jackson says that her previous meeting has forever changed her and her outlook on the country. Jackson, prior to her meetings, claimed that Muslims in the country were being led by secret Muslim and terrorist sympathizer President Obama. She said that the Muslims are quietly taking over the government of the United States.

“This new al-Qaida magazine for women has beauty tips and suicide-bomber tips! Gimme a break!” she said in a World Net Daily blog post. “That is as ridiculous as two men kissing on the mouth! And I don’t care what is politically correct. Everyone knows that two men on a wedding cake is a comedy skit, not an ‘alternate lifestyle’! There I said it! Ridiculous!”

Jackson decided to visit the Occupy Wall Street protests at Zuccotti Park earlier this fall in an effort to challenge protestors, but the effort did not work out for her.

“Michelle [sic] Bachmann and Rick Santorum are the only GOP candidates so far to acknowledge the above facts and warn against the present threat of Islamic Law replacing our Constitution,” Jackson wrote at the end of her blog post on the FBI briefing.

Sarah Palin Critical of White House Holiday Card

jim — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 12:30:36 +0000

Sarah Palin, the former Alaska Governor who made a name for herself running for Vice President of the United States in the previous election year, has attacked the holiday card released by the White House this year. Palin attacked the holiday card on Fox News Radio.

The Obamas’ dog, Bo, is on the front of the holiday card, sitting in a Christmas-like setting. The fireplace is decorated with wreaths and red ribbons and there is a table with a poinsettia plant and some presents in the scene as well. The message on the inside of the card, which is signed by the Obama family, and Bo, reads as follows:

“From our family to yours, may your holidays shine with the light of the season.”

Palin called the Obama holiday card ‘odd’ and elaborated on that statement:

“It’s odd,” she said, because the card features the dog and not traditions such as faith, freedom, and family.

“Even stranger than that was his first year in office when the Christmas ornaments included Chairman Mao,” Palin said. “People had to ask that it be removed because it was offensive.”

The incident that Palin speaks of was when a right-wing blog posted a photo, which included an ornament on the White House Christmas tree back in 2009. The ornament was a reproduction of Andy Warhol’s Mao portrait. It was reported back in 2009 by Media Matters that the tree had been decorated by groups from the community and not decorated by anyone within the White House.

Palin went on to say that the majority of American citizens prefer “American foundational values illustrated and displayed on Christmas cards and on a Christmas tree. It’s just a different way of thinking coming out of the White House.”

“I go on the offense like most Americans do and say ‘No, we’ll have Christ back in Christmas and hopefully it won’t offend you,’” Palin said in a November 2010 interview with Fox News.

On Monday, Palin decided to add some fuel to the fire when she discussed her future plans after originally saying she would not run for the 2012 GOP nomination for president:

“It’s not too late for folks to jump in,” she said. “Who knows what will happen in the future.”

Mark Matuszak, a Los Angeles artist, said he was contacted by the social secretary of the White House earlier in 2011 to design the Obama holiday card.

“They wanted to do an inside shot, something home related,” Matuszak told the Los Angeles Times. He said one suggestion was to focus on the family dog, Bo. “So we thought, let’s put Bo in front of a fireplace.”

Recent White House holiday cards have not even included mentions of Christmas, which was the case for the card released by George Bush in 2008.

The Supreme Court Decides the Constitutionality of Obamacare

chelsei — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 17:26:17 +0000

In a recent development that should shock no one, the U.S. Supreme Court this morning agreed to review the constitutionally of President Barack Obama’s signature policy achievement, which is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. This means that, before the very end of the current SCOTUS Term in the summer of 2012, the justices will rule on the validity of this sweeping legislation (unless of course they try and avoid the question on jurisdictional grounds, as Judge Brett Kavanaugh of the D.C. Circuit recently did — a path that may appeal to Justice Kennedy, as suggested by Professor Noah Feldman, and a path that the Court itself highlighted just by mentioning the jurisdictional issue in its certiorari grant).

In the meantime, there will be quite enough dinner party chit-chats about the new health care reform law and its constitutionality.

Over the weekend, at the Federalists Society’s National Lawyers Convention, here are some of the key discussions, and some of the speakers:

”RESOLVED: Congress Acted Within Its Authority in Enacting the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

- Hon. Paul D. Clement, Partner Bancroft PLLC and former U.S. Solicitor General

- Prof. Laurence H. Tribe, Carl M. Loeb University Professor, Harvard Law School

- Moderator: Prof. Nicholas Quinn Rosenkranz, Georgetown University Law Center”

In this fascinating debate, ably moderated by Professor Resenkranz, Paul Clement and Laurence Tribe outlined their clashing views on the Act’s constitutionality.

Professor Tribe began by providing a little background on the Act. In March 2010, it was signed into law and represented Congress’s attempt to tackle the health care crisis — a crisis that involves at least 17 percent of our GDP. He pointed out that health care is very much unlike other markets because hospitals don’t turn away patients, which will mean that the health care costs of the people who are uninsured effectively get passed along to everyone else.

The ”individual mandate” provision of the Act attempts to encourage coverage by imposing some tax penalties on the people who do not have/do not buy any health insurance. The new provision will encourage everyone to purchase coverage, and will raise revenue from the people who do not. This provides an incentive for people to acquire heath insurance in advance of when they will actually need care, which is much more efficient and effective than the status quo. It’s common knowledge that pretty much everyone will, at some point in their lives, need health care, so why should we wait until they either get hurt or sick before we deal with the problem?
With approval, Tribe note that the decisions by the Sixth Circuit and the D.C. Circuit upholding the validity of the Act. He also noted that the distinguished conservative jurists such as Jude Jeffrey Sutton and Judge Laurence Silberman have both written in defense of the law.

Obama Helps D.C. Firms

jim — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 02:28:32 +0000

President Obama has made decent changes that are benefiting lawyers and law firms in the Washington, D.C. area. As promised, more work has been made for the government, which has created more work for lawyers and law firms in the area. The firms in D.C. are doing better than most firms around the country.

During the summer, the request at these firms has dramatically increased. While even the largest firms have about a 1.5 percent demand, firms in D.C. have a demand percentage of 3.5 percent. One of the partners at SNR Denton, Mike McNamara, has said, “The administration’s approach has been good for business.” He also says, “One of the drivers of [Washington] law firm growth has been the regulatory state.”

Because of the major changes and recent reforms, law firms in the area are busier than ever before. Most of the people who work for the government will rely on lawyers and law firms scattered around the area. Meanwhile, the law firms look forward to working with and representing these clients.

The CEO of Hogan Lovells, Warren Gorrell, spoke about the Affordable Care Act recently passed through Congress and says, “Pharma, device companies, insurers… all of those companies are affected by the Affordable Care Act and other regulatory and enforcement activities of the Obama administration.” After passing a healthcare reform bill, the President chose to sign the Dodd-Frank reform. This reform protects the consumers. With this reforms intact, attorneys in the D.C. area are busy providing guidance for the consumers and defending those who need it.

Statistics show that law firms in D.C. can earn over $300 million dollars each year because of all the work they will be doing. Attorneys will not only represent consumers who are in need of a defense team, they will also represent companies, businesses, and government members. All of this work will keep the firms in the area busy but it will pay off because they are earning way more than the average law firm. McNamara, the partner at SNR Denton, say, “Government has become a far greater force in business planning.”

More work is also being made for lawyers in the area due to the crack down from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The federal agents have been working on the investigation of a number of different companies.

The head of McDermott’s regulatory and governmental affairs business unit, Raymond Jacobsen Jr., says, “The Obama administration is bringing more cases, cases with higher penalties, and going after deals that have been closed.” He also says, “It is a good time to be an antitrust lawyer.”

During the downward spiral of the economy, law firms all over the United States suffered. This meant that many firms had to merge, some firms closed, and tons of attorneys were left unemployed. With the recent changes and the demand for attorneys in Washington, D.C., the firms are finally growing which enables more attorneys to find employment and decreases the overall unemployment rate in the city.

Obama Announces Bid for Re-election in 2012

aostler — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 00:58:24 +0000

On Monday, April 4, current U.S. President Barack Obama announced his bid for re-election in 2012. He said that he wants to finish the job he started in 2008. He made the announcement on a YouTube video.

Since the start of his presidency, millions of Americans are still out of work, yet new jobs are still being added to the economy every day. In the 2012 election, Obama will be evaluated based on his track record in the White House and the things he has and hasn’t accomplished while in office.

Although it is still 20 months away from Election Day, he has filed for candidacy now so that he can start raising funds for his campaign, which has the potential of costing $1 billion, or even more.

It is expected by the White House that this election will be driven by the state of the nation’s economy. If voters feel like Obama has made good progress during his current term, then they might choose to re-elect him. On the other hand, if voters feel that Obama hasn’t delivered on his promises or made the right decisions for the nation, then they might choose another candidate that they think will do a better job.

Obama being the incumbent is going to be an advantage and a disadvantage in the upcoming election, depending on your perspective of how he is helping or not helping the nation recover from a recession. Although unemployment has dropped in the last 2 years, perceptions about the economy haven’t improved since Obama took office.

Has Obama delivered on the promises that he made when he was voted into office in 2008 and made the nation a better place, or has he failed to live up to what he promised us 3 years ago? The beauty of this nation is that you, the voter, get to decide what you think and make your voice heard by voting in 2012 for the candidate of your choosing.

Federal Judge in Florida tells States to Continue with Health Overhaul

aostler — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 22:08:34 +0000

The same federal judge that ruled that President Obama’s health care law was unconstitutional, Judge Roger Vinson, has now made another ruling in Pensacola, Florida on Thursday, March 3^rd, 2011. He says that states must continue to implement the health care overhaul … for now.

The health care law has been ruled against by one other judge in Virginia as well, but two other federal judges have upheld it. Because of this division, this issue will most likely eventually end up going to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Vinson made this new 20 page ruling after receiving a request from administration attorneys that wanted to make sure that Florida and 25 additional states followed this law until the challenge to it was resolved in court.

Vinson explained, “It would be extremely disruptive and cause significant uncertainty” to stop implementation of the new law. He also wrote that if an appeal is not made by the federal government in seven days, then the law can be considered invalid by the states.

Vinson originally made the ruling that the new health care law was unconstitutional in January. He stated that lawmakers don’t have the power give a penalty to people for not doing something.

A spokeswoman for the Justice Department said that the government would appeal without delay and get an expedited review.

Discussions on Opening up India’s Legal Market Dropped from President Obama’s Agenda During Trip to India

joshua — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 14:04:36 +0000

During President Barack Obama’s highly publicized trip to India this week that was to focus on boosting trade and security ties between both countries, discussions about opening up the legal market in India were removed from the agenda.

According to the article at amlawdaily.com, Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge corporate partner Shahana Basu Kanodia, chair of the firm’s South Asia practice, told Legally India’s Kian Ganz that opening up India’s legal market to foreign firms was a relatively low priority and had been sidelined in favor of discussions on job creation and democracy.

Ganz noted that when British Prime Minister David Cameron visited India this summer, he was accompanied by Clifford Chance outgoing senior partner Stuart Popham, who felt confident India would lift restrictions on foreign lawyers by 2012.

However, Edwards Angell’s Kanodia was more pessimistic about the future of foreign lawyers in India. She told Legally India’s Ganz, that the country’s legal market would likely remain closed until 2015, primarily because Indian businesses didn’t see the benefit in allowing foreign firms to practice locally.

The National Law Journal, a sibling publication, reports that last week, American Bar Association president Stephen Zack sent a letter to the President asking him to push the Indian government to drop its ban on foreign lawyers practicing or maintaining offices in the country.

Zack, a litigation partner at Boies, Schiller & Flexner in Miami, wrote that U.S. lawyers and their firms were being unfairly treated in India and that further restrictions of foreign lawyers would undermine goal of increasing trade between the two countries, The NLJ reports. Zack said he does not expect a response from Obama until the president returns to the country next week.

Kagan’s Big Weekend

joshua — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 15:44:04 +0000

The Associated Press reports Elena Kagan will be sworn in as the Supreme Court’s 112^th justice on Saturday and will be formally installed to the high court when it opens its new term on Oct. 1.

Prior to tomorrow’s swearing in ceremony, Kagan is scheduled to celebrate her confirmation in a White House ceremony with President Barack Obama Friday.

Obama called Kagan’s confirmation vote “an affirmation of (Kagan’s) character and her temperament, her open-mindedness and evenhandedness, her determination to hear all sides of every story and consider all possible arguments,” following yesterday’s landmark confirmation vote.

Kagan, 50, will become the fourth female justice in the in the history of the Supreme Court and its first in nearly 40 years to serve the high court with no previous judicial experience.

Morning Roundup

joshua — Mon, 24 May 2010 13:19:47 +0000

Good morning everyone! Today is Monday, May 24th. Here’s a quick look back at Friday’s stories.

Weitz & Luxenberg Made Large Contribution to Rice…

Bryan Cave Partner Nominated For Second Slot At Justice…

Sidley Austin Adds 3 Partners to Executive Committee…

Obama Taps Venable Partner For Federal Bench Seat…

Bryan Cave Partner Nominated For Second Slot At Justice

eric — Sat, 22 May 2010 01:42:58 +0000

Bloomberg Newsweek: The president intends to nominate Bryan Cave partner James Cole for the second spot at the Justice Department. In addition to his work at Bryan Cave, Cole has served as an independent monitor of AIG, and was also a former Justice Department prosecutor. At the JD, Cole was deputy chief of the public integrity section. In private practice he has focused his practice on regulatory, securities, and criminal law.

If his nomination is confirmed by the senate, Mr. Cole will be replacing David Ogden who, Newsweek reports, is returning to the private sector.

Bryan Cave is an international general practice law firm with 25 offices nationwide. The firm was founded in 1873 and has approximately 1,200 attorneys.

Obama Taps Venable Partner For Federal Bench Seat

eric — Fri, 21 May 2010 14:47:38 +0000

Yesterday Venable partner Robert Wilkins was given the tap by the Obama administration for a spot on the bench of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, writes the Legal Times Blog.

Prior to his move to Venable in 2002, Wilkins, per the BLT, was chief of the Public Defender Service’s special litigation section from 1996 to 2000. Currently, he is a trial and appellate lawyer in the firm’s corporate defense/white collar, technology and commercial litigation practice groups.

Venable LLP is a law firm, formerly known as Venable, Baetjer & Howard LLP. It was founded in Baltimore in the post-Civil War period. Today the firm maintains six Northeastern US offices and specializes in patent litigation, labor and employment law and white collar investigations. Venable employs nearly 600 attorneys.

Obama Supreme Court Pick Coming By May 26

joshua — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 16:57:42 +0000

One day after President Barack Obama met informally with potential replacements for retiring Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, The Hill is reporting a nomination will come no later than May 26.

The story notes that is the same day Obama nominated Justice Sotomayor last year, though White House officials also added the nomination could come “well before then.”

White House officials hope by putting the new nominee on the same confirmation schedule as Sotomayor, or even sooner, there will be plenty of time for a new justice to be confirmed and seated by the August recess, The Hill reports.

The Associated Press reports Obama made contact with potential nominees Wednesday, though it was unclear whether it was in person, over the phone or another form of communication.

On Wednesday, Obama met with leaders on Capitol Hill for a consulting session on potential nominees. In the discussion, he said abortion would not be a “litmus test” for any potential nominee, but indicated support of personal privacy and women’s rights will likely be mandatory.

“That’s going to be something that’s very important to me,” Obama said in response to a question about a woman’s right to choose.

“I think part of what our constitutional values promote is the notion that individuals have protection in their privacy, and their bodily integrity, and women are not exempt from that,” Obama said.

The Associated Press reports it took Obama 25 days to choose Sotomayor last year and less than half that time has elapsed since Stevens retirement announcement on April 9.

Obama Signs Healthcare Bill; Lawsuits Forthcoming

joshua — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 16:16:05 +0000

President Barack Obama signed into law Tuesday morning the sweeping healthcare bill passed by Congress over the weekend. But rather than this being the endgame in the months-long healthcare debate, it appears to be just the beginning as a myriad of legal challenges are forthcoming. According to multiple reports, at least 12 states were expected to immediately file lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the new law.

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum told Bloomberg in this report that the requirement that individuals buy some form of health insurance violates the U.S. Constitution and also impedes on state’s abilities to provide other services because of the cost burdens.

According to the National Law Journal, two partners at Baker Hostetler have been enlisted as outside general counsel by several state attorneys general looking to overturn the law. David Rivkin Jr. and Lee Casey will be at the helm and, according to the report, Florida is expected to be the lead plaintiff in the suit.

In Virginia, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli called the law “an unconstitutional overreach of its authority.” He explained his position in a press release.

“With this law, the federal government will force citizens to buy health insurance, claiming it has the authority to do so because of its power to regulate interstate commerce,” he said. “We contend that if a person decides not to buy health insurance, that person — by definition — is not engaging in commerce, and therefore, is not subject to a federal mandate.”

At last count, the other states that say they will sue are Alabama, Florida, Michigan, Nebraska, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington.

“Birthers” Beware; Hawaii Looks to Put Stop to Obama Requests

joshua — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:26:20 +0000

Orly Taitz isn’t going to like this one.

Fed up with so-called “birthers,” lawmakers in Hawaii are considering a bill that will allow government officials to ignore repeated requests for the birth certificate of President Barack Obama.

A state official told the Associated Press there remains “a cohort of people” that believe Obama was not born in the United States and thus ineligible to serve as president of the United States. The state continues to receive between 10 and 20 e-mails a week seeking verification that Obama is a natural-born American citizen.

“Sometimes we may be dealing with a cohort of people who believe lack of evidence is evidence of a conspiracy,” said Lorrin Kim, chief of the Hawaii Department of Health’s Office of Planning, Policy and Program Development.

Unfortunately for Taitz and. her birther brethren, state law forbids the release of a certified birth certificate without a “tangible” reason. And since Hawaii Health Director Dr. Chiyome Fukino has already given multiple statements confirming Obama’s vital records are authentic, these requests have become nothing more than a nuisance, officials say.

Still, some question whether a law is really the answer to the issue.

Noted Rep. Cynthia Thielen, a Republican: “Do we really want to be known internationally as the legislature that blocked any inquiries into where President Obama was born? When people want to get more information, the way to fuel the fire is to say, ‘We’re now going to draw down a veil of secrecy.”

Under the proposed legislation, people who persist on making requests would be declared a “vexatious requester” by the Office of Information Practices, which would place restrictions on accessing government records for two years.

Lawmakers say the bill will be scheduled for a committee vote soon.

The Obama Administration Names Federal Judge Nominees

sara — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:22:04 +0000

Judge Kathleen O’Malley and Raymond Lohier Jr. have been nominated by President Barack Obama for federal appellate judgeships.

O’Malley has been nominated for the Federal Circuit. She has been a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio since 1994. She also teaches patent litigation at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, where she received her law degree. O’Malley has served as the first assistant attorney general and chief of staff to the Ohio attorney general. She was chief counsel to Ohio Attorney General Lee Fischer from 1991 to 1992. She is a former associate at Jones Day and made partner at Porter Wright Morris & Arthur during her tenure from 1985 to 1991.

Raymond Lohier Jr. has been nominated for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit. Lohier received his law degree from New York University and he currently serves as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York and heads the office’s Securities and Commodities Task Force. From 1997 to 2000 Lohier was a senior trial attorney in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. He was also an associate at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton from 1993 to 1997.

Obama As Supreme Court Justice? You never know…

joshua — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 19:03:10 +0000

Supreme Court Justice Barack Obama? That’s not such a bad idea according to a George Washington law professor. Jeffrey Rosen argues in a column published in Friday’s Washington Post that many of the characteristics that have drawn critics of President Obama are just the qualities that are needed on the high court.

“Though Obama has struggled to find his footing in the White House, his education, temperament and experience make him ideally suited to lead the liberal wing of the court, especially at a time when a narrow conservative majority seems increasingly intent on challenging progressive economic reforms for the first time since the New Deal,” Rosen writes.

Rosen continues to provide strategies that could get Obama on the Supreme Court. There is precedent for such a progression. After serving one term as the 27^th president of the United States, William Howard Taft later became the Supreme Court’s 10^th chief justice.

Obama Appoints Familiar Lawyers to Legal Services Corporation

Erik Even — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:20:20 +0000

President Barack Obama has appointed two lawyers with whom he has close personal ties to the Legal Services Corporation.

Martha Minow is the Dean of Harvard Law School, where she has taught for nearly thirty years. Her research focuses on equality, human rights, law and social change, and religion and pluralism. Minow was a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, and has served on the Board of the American Bar Foundation. She earned her JD at Yale, and her Ed.M from Harvard.

Also, Minow is the daughter of Newton Minow, senior counsel at Chicago’s Sidley Austin. When Obama was at Harvard Law School, the elder Minow got Obama a summer job.

John G. Levi has been a partner in the Chicago office of Sidley Austin for over 25 years. His practice focuses on employment litigation, executive compensation matters, and labor management relations. His JD and LL.M are from Harvard.

And… It was Levi who actually hired Obama at Sidley, and another young attorney, Michelle Robinson, who was assigned to be the young Obama’s adviser. Robinson would later serve as the first African-American First Lady.

Created in 1974, The Legal Services Corporation is a private, non-profit corporation established by the United States Congress to ensure equal access to justice under the law for all Americans, by providing civil legal assistance to those who otherwise would be unable to afford it.

Obama Nominates 6 for US Attorney

Erik Even — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 17:56:46 +0000

President Barack Obama announced Friday his intent to nominate six individuals as United States Attorneys.

Dennis Burke is nominated for US Attorney for the District of Arizona, He is a Senior Advisor to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. He graduated the University of Arizona College of Law.

Steven Dettelbach is nominated for US Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. He is a partner at Baker & Hostettler in Cleveland Ohio; he also currently serves as a Commissioner on the Ohio Ethics Commission. Dettelbach graduated from Harvard Law School.

Brendan Johnson is nominated for US Attorney for the District of South Dakota. He is a partner at Johnson, Heidepriem, Abdallah & Johnson in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Johnson graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Karen Loeffler is nominated for US Attorney for the District of Alaska. She has been an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Alaska for twenty years, and currently is its interim United States Attorney. Loeffler graduated from Harvard Law School.

Florence T. Nakakuni is nominated for US Attorney for the District of Hawaii. She has been an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Hawaii for the past 24 years. She presently serves as Chief of the Drug and Organized Crime Section. Nakakuni graduated from the University of Hawaii’s William S. Richardson School of Law.

Carter M. Stewart is nominated for US Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio. She is a lawyer at Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP in Columbus, Ohio. Stewart graduated from Harvard Law School.

Obama’s Lawyers Make $172,000 or Less

Erik Even — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:41:47 +0000

The Obama administration has released salary information for its 46 staff lawyers.

The highest paid is Gregory B. Craig, whose tiles are Assistant to the President and Counsel to the President. The Yale Law School graduate, who held the same position in the Clinton administration, pulls down $172,200 per year.

Rounding out the top five:

Virginia R. Canter, Counsel: $163,940
Cassandra Butts, Deputy Assistant and Deputy Counsel to the President: $158,500
Nancy-Ann E. DeParle, Counsel to the President, Office of Health Car Reform Director: $158,500
Mary B. DeRosa, Deputy Assistant and Deputy Counsel to the President: $158,500

Those lowest paid, such as Director of Counsel Operations Matthew R. Kennedy, make $62,000 a year.

Podesta Group Adds Lobbyists

Erik Even — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 17:14:13 +0000

The Podesta Group has added at least six principals this year.

Podesta saw a 44% rise in gross lobbying revenue from 2007 to 2008.

So far this year, the firm has filed 18 registrations for new federal lobbying clients, including Deloitte, Michelin North America, and Sallie Mae. The firm’s existing clients include Google, Wal-Mart, and Reed Elsevier, the company that owns Lexis-Nexis.

The new additions include Teal Baker, an official in President Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, who returns to Podesta after leaving in 2007.

Peggy Binzel is a former legislative director for then-US Representative Jack Fields of Texas.

Beth Inadomi returns to Podesta; she is a former counsel on the Senate Commerce Committee.

Aranthan Jones II worked for then-US Representative William Jefferson, Louisiana Democrat.

Andy Lewin worked for US Representative Dennis Moore, Democrat of Kansas, and then-US Representative Max Sandlin, Democrat of Texas.

Bob Taylor was deputy assistant secretary of defense for Senate affairs.

The Podesta Group is a lobbying and public affairs firm based in Washington, DC. It was founded in 1988 by brothers John Podesta and Tony Podesta, and has previously been known as Podesta Associates and PodestaMattoon.

CJA Attorneys Get Pay Raise

Erik Even — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 18:36:59 +0000

Attorneys working assignments under the federal will see their fees bumped up from $100 to $110 per hour, with funds recently appropriated by Congress.

The CJA was enacted in 1964 to establish a comprehensive system for appointing and compensating lawyers to represent defendants financially unable to retain counsel in federal criminal proceedings.

Federal defender organizations, together with the more than 10,000 private panel attorneys who accept CJA assignments annually, represent the vast majority of individuals who are prosecuted in the nation’s federal courts.

Nationwide, federal defenders receive approximately 58% of CJA appointments, and the remaining 42% are assigned to the CJA panel.

The new fee pays panel attorneys an hourly rate of $110 per hour in non-capital cases, and a maximum rate of $175 per hour for capital cases.

President Obama signed the new rate into law on March 11 for work performed on or after that date.

The American Bar Association had urged the Obama administration and Congress to support increases in the panel rates.

Dean Joins McKenna Long & Aldridge

Erik Even — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 22:56:56 +0000

Former Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean has joined McKenna Long & Aldridge as an independent consultant, for the firm’s government affairs practice in Washington, DC.

As a senior strategic adviser and independent consultant, Dean will consult with clients on a variety of public policy issues, with a focus on health care, energy, and public-private partnerships at the state and local level.

The firm says he has no intention of lobbying on behalf of clients. He also has no intention to scream.

The move to the private sector comes shortly after President Barack Obama bypassed the former governor of Vermont as his choice for secretary of Health and Human Services, in favor of Governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas.

“I was pretty clear that I would have liked to have been Secretary of HHS but it is the president’s choice and he decided to go in a different direction,” Dean said in an online interview.

Atlanta-based McKenna, Long & Aldridge LLP was ranked the 100th largest law firm in the country by the National Law Journal in 2007. The firm also ranked 141st in profit per attorney on the 2007 AmLaw 200 survey.

Brunswick Group Adds Partner, Director To DC Office

Erik Even — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 02:51:41 +0000

Brunswick Group LLC today announced that Michele Davis, former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Public Affairs and Director of Policy Planning, has joined the firm’s Washington, DC office as Partner. Also today, Brunswick announced that Julie Andreeff Jensen, who most recently served as Pennsylvania’s Get-Out-the-Vote Director for Barack Obama, has joined the firm as Director.
“With her communications and policy leadership at Treasury, Michele will provide our clients with expert counsel during this time of market upheaval and significant government action. We’re a global firm, and she’ll offer an international perspective to companies facing what are clearly international challenges,” said Hilary Rosen, Managing Partner of Brunswick’s Washington office.
“Julie has been a key field organizer in some of the most important Democratic campaigns of the last several years,” added Ms. Rosen. “Her successful work as the GOTV Director for the Obama campaign in Pennsylvania is an example of her coalition building skills and her ability to bring diverse parties to the table on behalf of a cause. We are thrilled Michele and Julie are joining our growing team in Washington.”

Illinois AG Sees No Constitutional Problem Calling A Special Election

Erik Even — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 01:46:43 +0000

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan told the state’s legislature that she sees no constitutional problem with the Illinois General Assembly passing legislation to allow a special election for a U.S. Senator to replace the scandal-embroiled Senator Roland Burris.

Burris’ appointment by former Governor Rod Blogojevich has been filled with controversy. Burris continues to say he did nothing improper to receive his appointment, but some consider Burris’ statements inconsistent regarding his contact with the former governor.

“The General Assembly possesses inherent authority, derived directly from the federal constitution, to specify the timing and manner of elections to fill a U.S. senate vacancy,” said Madigan, specifically citing the 17th Amendment.

Federal Judges to Get COLA

Erik Even — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:13:27 +0000

The US House of Representatives voted this week for a $410 billion spending plan to keep the federal government running through September. The plan includes a cost-of-living adjustment for the federal judiciary for the 2009 calendar year.

According to the Administrative Office of the US Courts, the proposal would give judges a 2.8% pay increase retroactive to January.

The pay bump would end judges’ status as the only federal employees who did not get a cost-of-living adjustment this year. They have gone without such an increase in seven of the last 14 years, and Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. has made the issue a priority.

The spending plan now heads to the Senate, which has been less receptive to arguments for higher judicial pay and could amend the plan. In October, senators removed plans for the judiciary’s 2009 cost-of-living adjustment from auto-bailout legislation passed by the House.

House members voted in the same legislation to turn down their own cost-of-living adjustment scheduled for January 2010. Because judicial pay is linked to congressional pay, the chances for a judicial adjustment in 2010 are looking pretty low.

President Barack Obama’s proposed budget for the federal government’s 2010 fiscal year, which the White House released this morning, does not include a cost-of-living adjustment or pay raise for the federal judiciary.

Obama Ex-Strategist Berman Joins Bryan Cave

Erik Even — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 00:19:10 +0000

Obama campaign strategist Jeff Berman has joined the DC office of St. Louis, Missouri’s Bryan Cave.

Berman is part of Bryan Cave’s new 25-member public policy & governmental affairs group. The group is made up of Bryan Cave Strategies LLC, the firm’s pre-existing government affairs affiliate, as well as the firm’s election law practice and Powell Goldstein LLP’s public policy practice.

Berman served as the national delegate director for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.

Until 2004, Berman served as a longtime adviser to former House of Representatives Democratic Leader and two-time presidential hopeful Dick Gephardt from Missouri.

Berman also has experience in private practice, working at Winston & Strawn’s DC office from 1995 until 2003.

Like Obama, Berman is a Harvard Law grad, earning his JD in 1982.

White House Lawyers Battle Obama Tchochkes

Erik Even — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 19:16:40 +0000

Marketers have been making a mint off of the images of Barack Obama and his family. Now, White House lawyers want to stem the tide, although it’s hard to see how that might be possible.

“Our lawyers are working on developing a policy that will protect the presidential image while being careful not to squelch the overwhelming enthusiasm that the public has for the president,” White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said.

Obama’s calls for change and his “Yes We Can” campaign mantra are being evoked to sell cheap furniture in Ikea’s “Embrace Change” marketing campaign, bargain airfares during Southwest Airline’s “Yes You Can” sale, and “Yes Pecan” ice cream at Ben & Jerry’s.

“I can’t remember this ever happening to an active politician before, as a spokesperson or as an image for a brand,” said Brad Adgate of New York’s Horizon Media ad agency. “He’s in the highest profile of any person in the world right now.”

The concern is when advertisers use Obama’s likeness without permission to imply he is endorsing a product or cause. The White House through the years has objected to commercial use of presidential faces, such as footage of President George H.W. Bush in a Cold War-themed 1989 television ad for cold medication.

Obama’s face has also appeared on thousands of t-shirts, coffee mugs and calendars for sale at stores and street vendors across the US, and on infomercials. Beanie Babies-maker Ty claims, to no one’s satisfaction, that its Sweet Sasha and Marvelous Malia dolls aren’t modeled after the first daughters.

White House lawyers will have to make case-by-case determinations about the best ways to protect the presidential image without tempering enthusiasm or trampling on free-speech protections, said intellectual property lawyer Jonathan Band. “I think the First Amendment will be applied much more broadly with respect to people wanting to use an image of the president than it would be with typical entertainment figures or sports figures.”

Blago Says He Will “Boycott” His Own Impeachment

Erik Even — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 18:32:59 +0000

Comparing himself to a cowboy facing a hanging, Democratic Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich condemned the state Senate for preparing to remove him from office, so it could raise taxes on the middle class and serve the special interests.

“The heart and soul of this has been a struggle of me against the system,” he said.

Blagojevich’s lead attorney, Edward Genson, has chosen to no longer defend the governor in the criminal case he faces over alleged corruption. “I wish the governor good luck and God speed,” Genson said.

The Illinois House voted to impeach Blagojevich after the US Attorney arrested him under a federal criminal complaint, alleging he conspired to auction off the US Senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama.

This week the governor characterized himself as a victim who has been targeted by a political power structure he has tried to reform. He said he will boycott the senate impeachment trial, set to begin on Monday, because the rules make it impossible for him to defend himself.

“I am being denied fundamental fairness and due process,” Blagojevich said in 20-minute press conference. “Whatever happened to the presumption of innocence?”

Matt Murphy, a state Senator who was on the Senate panel that made the rules, said the governor was engaging in the “theater of the absurd.” He said the idea of “presumption of innocence” doesn’t apply to an impeachment proceeding.

“We’ve just got to determine if the allegations warrant his removal,” he said.

This week Blagojevich ignored a deadline to request witnesses to be called in his defense at the state senate trial. He said the senate rules prevented him from calling witness who would testify that he did not conspire to sell Obama’s seat. Among the witnesses he said he intended to call: Obama’s chief of staff, Rahm Emmanuel; one of Mr. Obama’s senior advisers, Valerie Jarrett; and Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr.

Impeachment Prosecutor Calls 12 Witnesses Against Blago

Erik Even — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:19:52 +0000

The prosecutor in Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich’s pending impeachment trial in the state Senate said today he will call more than a dozen witnesses.

Blagojevich, however, did not respond to a discovery deadline seeking witnesses, documents and other materials that would be used in his defense, the Chicago Tribune reported.

The impeachment trial is scheduled to begin Monday. If found guilty of corruption charges — including trying to peddle President Barack Obama’s then-vacant US seat — Blagojevich would be removed from the Governor’s office.

David Ellis, the designated House prosecutor, asked the state Senate to approve subpoenas for a witness FBI agent Daniel Cain, author of the federal affidavit filed along with federal criminal charges against Blagojevich resulting in his Dec. 9 arrest.

The governor has maintained his innocence of both federal charges and charges contained in the state House articles of impeachment.

Meanwhile, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Blagojevich spent $2.6 million of his campaign funds on legal fees, most to pay criminal defense lawyers. His most recent expenditures — a $500,000 payment to the firm of lawyer Edward Genson and $100,000 to the firm of Sheldon Sorosky — was made Dec. 18, a campaign finance report filed late Tuesday revealed.

The governor also paid nearly $1.8M to Winston & Strawn since December 2003, records show. About half of that was spent last July for overdue bills.

In response to the prosecutor just hours ago, Blagojevich released a statement that the Senate impeachment trial is unfair and denies him the right to due process.

The two-term governor of Illinios, Blagojevich says he is being denied the right to call witnesses. The governor has repeatedly denied federal allegations that he sought to profit politically and personally from official acts.

House prosecutor David Ellis said he would withdraw his subpoena to FBI agent Cain if the U.S. Attorney, Patrick Fitzgerald objects.

The House and Senate have agreed not to seek witnesses or information that could compromise the ongoing federal investigation. A Fitzgerald spokesman declined further comment.

Ellis, whose primary job is legal counsel to House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago), also asked to call eight House lawmakers as witnesses.

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Anti-Choice Groups Fear An Obama Administration

todd — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:29:32 +0000

The announcement of Obama’s administration is helping abortion rights supporters feel optimistic, while unnerving “pro-lifers.”

Thursday is the 36th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. Pro-choice groups see President Barack Obama as an ally of the Democratic leadership in Congress, and feel that they will likely ease restrictions on federal funding, broaden family-planning programs, and install federal judges who support the right to choose.

Anti-choice activists feel they have taken several political setbacks as a result of the Obama election. They are encouraging the Republican minority to filibuster if necessary.

“The alignment of a hard-core pro-abortion president with pro-abortion Democratic majorities in Congress means that many existing pro-life policies are now in great jeopardy,” said Douglas Johnson of the National Right to Life Committee. “Some damage is inevitable, but the extent to which the Obama abortion agenda will be achieved will depend on the perception of elected policy-makers as to how the public is responding to the proposed changes.”

Sonnenschein Celebrates Inauguration

Erik Even — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 20:31:28 +0000

The Blog of Legal Times reports from Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal’s swanky Obama inauguration party:

Saturday night, Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal held an inauguration reception at The Phillips Collection in Washington. About 100 people showed up for the evening cocktail affair. On Tuesday morning, Sonnenschein will continue celebrating – hosting a breakfast for its clients in its D.C. office on K Street.

Sonnenschein is doing well, considering the economy; they recently snatched up 100 Thacher lawyers. But they also have frozen salaries, which makes the idea of a swanky party a bit inappropriate.

Read the whole story.

NY Attorneys Donate to Obama Inauguration

Erik Even — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 17:00:29 +0000

According to the New York Law Journal:

Dozens of New York lawyers have reached into their pockets to help new President Barack Obama help defray the cost of an inauguration that many think will be, in the words of one, “for the ages.”

Barry H. Berke [of] Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel… personally donated $10,000 and collected $40,000 from others because Obama “has the potential to be a different kind of leader, a transformational leader who goes beyond ordinary politics.”

Patricia Cliff [of] Corcoran Real Estate Group, said she contributed $10,000 because it is “really important to be a part of an unbelievable first in American history.” Not just the election of the first black president but someone who is bringing “a whole new generation into government — it’s a very memorable experience for the whole country,” she said.

John P. “Sean” Coffey, a partner at Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossman, said he had contributed $50,000 because he realized that individuals would have to pick up the slack resulting from Obama’s refusal to accept donations from traditional interest groups.

“I was happy to do my bit for an inauguration that will be for the ages,” he said.

Altogether Obama’s inaugural committee has collected about $42.1 million from private donors.

The New York Law Journal focused its inquiry on the 141 donors identified by Public Citizen as having donated $10,000 or more from New York, Connecticut and New Jersey.

Read the story.

Obama Makes Key DOJ Appointments [UPDATE]

Erik Even — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:02:37 +0000

President-elect Barack Obama announced the nominations of four well-known lawyers to key posts in the Justice Department, including deputy attorney general, the number two spot.

That appointment went to Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr’s David Ogden, a former head of the department’s Civil Division under President Bill Clinton, who has been overseeing the DOJ transition work for Obama.

His deputy on the transition team, Thomas Perrelli, managing partner of Jenner & Block’s Washington, DC office, was tapped for the number three slot, associate attorney general. Like Ogden, Perrelli served in several positions in the Clinton Justice Department, leaving in 2001 as the head of the Civil Division’s Federal Programs Branch.

A surprise came in Obama’s selection of Elena Kagan, dean of Harvard Law School, to serve as solicitor general, and Dawn Johnsen, a law professor at Indiana University School of Law, to head the Office of Legal Counsel, the high-profile arm of the Justice Department that provides legal advice to the president and all executive branch agencies.

Kagan and Johnsen too served in the Clinton administration.

Johnsen was legal director of the National Abortion & Reproductive Rights Action League, and has been a frequent critic of the Bush administration. Her most recent publication is entitled, “What’s a President to Do? Interpreting the Constitution in the Wake of the Bush Administration’s Abuses.”

Kagan would be the first Senate-confirmed woman to serve as the government’s chief advocate before the Supreme Court. She has also been mentioned as a potential nominee to the Supreme Court, and her role as solicitor general could burnish her appeal.

Obama’s announcement of four more DOJ nominees comes little more than a week before the January 15th Senate confirmation hearing for his attorney general pick, Eric Holder Jr., now a partner at Covington & Burling.

Via Legal Times.

UPDATE

An interesting note on Holy Hullabaloos:

Yale Law School must be celebrating Harvard’s loss of Kagan, though, since Kagan was a superstar dean who made all sorts of great improvements at Harvard, which now threatens Yale as the top law school in the US.