Heading back to Latham, former White House counsel Ruemmler recalls DC confirmation fight
Former White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler is rejoining Latham & Watkins, where she was a partner before her most recent government service.
Ruemmler will be a partner in Latham’s litigation department and a member of the white-collar defense and investigations practice group, according to a press release. In previous government service, Ruemmler spent six years as a federal prosecutor, where she was co-lead counsel in the prosecution of former Enron officials.
Ruemmler told the Wall Street Journal Law Blog that she looks forward to getting back into court. Her last trial was in 2008. “I love doing trials,” she told the Law Blog, “so that’s something that I’m very enthusiastic about.”
Ruemmler also spoke with Legal Times, taking credit for the White House strategy to name three nominees simultaneously for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. She decided the Senate should first consider Patricia Ann Millett, a partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld who had argued 32 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. Ruemmler said she knew that Millett’s credentials could not be questioned.
“I believed that if the Republicans did not allow Patricia Millett to get an up or down vote, the Democrats would decide they really didn’t have an option because the Republicans were going to ensure that the president had no additional judges on that court,” Ruemmler said.
Millett was confirmed after Democrats changed filibuster rules to pave the way for a vote.
