No Conservatives Need Apply…
December 11, 2008
Earlier this year, attorney Lisa Brown, then executive director of the ultra-liberal American Constitution Society, called the Bush Administration’s practice of seeking out lawyers connected to the conservative Federalist Society to staff the Justice Department a “blight on the ‘integrity’” of the department.
That was then.
Ms. Brown was recently tapped to serve as White House staff secretary in the incoming Obama Administration, while American Constitution Society board member Eric Holder is slated to take over as Attorney General. Last year, in a speech to a group of eager young lawyers, Mr. Holder urged them to sign up with the Society because the Obama Administration is “going to be looking for people who share our values” – and a “substantial number of those people” will be ACS members.
Despite the tempting teaser from Mr. Holder, President-elect Obama’s point-person on the Justice Department transition, Dawn Johnsen, says “with confidence” that the new Justice Department won’t be staffed only with ideologically like-minded attorneys – like folks from the ACS. But considering that Ms. Johnsen herself is a also a ACS board member, my guess is promising young lawyers with “Federalist Society” on their resumes won’t be getting many plum jobs at the Obama Justice Department.
Posted by Dan Pero in the categories: Obama Administration
One Response to “No Conservatives Need Apply…”
It’s great when your party is in power, but when the other party is in power it sucks.
This article illustrates why it would be best to not allow staffing by political appointment. Non partisan is the way to go. Blame Bush for taking the partisanship to a new level. You can blame Obama for trying to balance out the biased appointees that Bush put in place, but you should still blame Bush for starting the process.
i cannot imagine what it does to morale in those agencies, with personnel of one era in supervisory roles overn newer personnel of another era. What a recipe for dysfunction and gridlock.