U.S. Justice Department
Will a Woman be Appointed Solicitor General?
Posted Nov 7, 2008, 07:53 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
The names of several women are being bandied about as possible appointees to the Justice Department’s solicitor general post.
A new president typically appoints a new solicitor general before filling other Justice Department posts, and the job could go to a woman, according to USA Today. No female has previously been appointed to the job, although a woman held the job in acting capacity for six months, the AmLaw Daily reports.
The ABA Journal mentioned one possible female candidate for the job in its November cover story, "The Lawyers Who May Run America." She is Kathleen Sullivan, the former dean of Stanford Law School. She now chairs the national appellate practice group at Quinn Emanuel.
The AmLaw Daily and Legal Times mention several others. They are:
--Preeta Bansal, New York State’s former solicitor general and the chair of appellate litigation at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.
--Beth Brinkmann, a partner at Morrison & Foerster and a former assistant solicitor general.
--Harvard law dean Elena Kagan.
--Stanford law professor Pamela Karlan, founding director of the school’s Supreme Court Litigation Clinic.
--MetLife litigation counsel Teresa Wynn Roseborough.
Four solicitors general have gone on to the U.S. Supreme Court, the USA Today story says. The most recent was Thurgood Marshall.
University of Texas law professor Sanford Levinson told USA Today it’s possible that Barack Obama will be watching to see how effectively the solicitor general crafts legal arguments that can attract a majority of the justices. “It could be an audition” for the Supreme Court, he said.
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Comments
Posted by Manny Torre - 2 months, 1 day, 7 hours, 29 minutes ago
“The ABA Journal mentioned one possible female candidate for the job in its November cover story, “The Lawyers Who May Run America.” She is Kathleen Sullivan….” Way to go, ABA Journal: quote your own magazine as a source in your online article. That’s investigative reporting!
Posted by Al Tidom - 2 months, 1 day, 5 hours, 33 minutes ago
THIS IS A JOB FOR ELLEN BARSHEVSKY!
Posted by DA_2_B - 2 months, 1 day, 5 hours, 6 minutes ago
“THIS IS A JOB FOR ELLEN BARSHEVSKY!”
WELL her boyfried WILL probably tell HER that she would make a GREAT candidate!
Posted by L.N. Barshevsky - 2 months, 1 day, 4 hours, 43 minutes ago
Ellen, please SEND your resume to the President RIGHT away! You are an attorney in GOOD standing. That is JUST what this country needs RIGHT now.
Posted by Ellen Barshevsky - 1 month, 4 weeks, 19 hours, 30 minutes ago
Wow, thank you all for your suport, BUT I am NOT yet ready for this job.
I am ONLY out of law school for 3 years and that is NOT enough expierence to do this job.
The manageing partner at my firm said I need to do MORE litigeation motions before he will stop second charing me, but that is FINE because I need his DIRECTION.
BESIDES, I would HAVE TO MOVE to DC, and unless I get MARRIED, I do NOT want to go there ALONE.
Posted by B. McLeod - 1 month, 3 weeks, 4 days, 3 hours, 38 minutes ago
IF it MAKES a DIFFERENCE, Ellen, you should KNOW that if you GET this job, they will GIVE you a nice PAPER, suitable for FRAMING, certifying that you are “LEARNED in the LAW,” and OTHER good things as WELL.