January 2009

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  Tim Kaine to lead Democratic National Committee

  Virginia Governor Tim Kaine ’83 is the new chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Kaine will be responsible for preparing for the 2010 midterm elections, and raising money for the party. He plans to work at the party part-time until 2010, when his term as governor is up and he can take over the DNC full-time.

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  Tribe: Blagojevich and the Constitution

  The following op-ed by HLS Professor Laurence H. Tribe ’66, “Blagojevich and the Constitution,” was published in the Jan. 2, 2009, issue of Forbes.

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  Kagan nominated as US solicitor general; HLS alums named to top DOJ posts

  President-elect Barack Obama ’91 has nominated Harvard Law School Dean Elena Kagan ’86 to be the 44th solicitor general of the United States. The appointment was announced by the Obama Transition Team today.

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  Sunstein will oversee government regulation

  Harvard Law School Professor Cass Sunstein ’78 will be appointed as administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal reported today.

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  Dellinger: The Senate should seat Roland Burris

  The following op-ed, “City of Cold Shoulders,” by HLS Visiting Professor Walter Dellinger, appeared in the Jan. 6, 2009, edition of The New York Times.

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  Fried: History’s Verdict

  In the wake of the Abu Ghraib revelations, the White House counsel, Alberto Gonzales, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2005 that “we care very much about finding out what happened and holding people accountable.”

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  Julius Genachowski ’91 to head FCC

  Julius Genachowski ’91 will be nominated to head the Federal Communications Commission, according to reports in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. If confirmed, he will take over the FCC’s work of regulating communications in the U.S.

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  Internet Safety Technical Task Force Releases Final Report on Enhancing Child Safety and Online Technologies

  The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University has released the final report of the Internet Safety Technical Task Force and an assessment of the risks faced by youth on social networks.

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  Feldman, Goldsmith in NYT: Questions of Justice

  On the New York Times Op-Ed page, “Questions of Justice,” HLS Professors Jack Goldsmith and Noah Feldman offer some questions that should be asked in the confirmation hearings of Eric Holder, President-elect Barack Obama’s nominee for U.S. attorney general. The piece appears in the January 14, 2009, edition of the Times.

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  Howell Jackson named as prospective acting dean of Harvard Law School

  Howell Jackson has agreed to serve as the acting dean of Harvard Law School (HLS), subject to the U.S. Senate’s confirmation of Dean Elena Kagan’s nomination to serve as U.S. Solicitor General, President Drew Faust announced today.

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  Meltzer appointed Principal Deputy Counsel to the President

  Daniel J. Meltzer ’75, the Story Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, will be appointed Principal Deputy Counsel to the President in the administration of President Barack Obama ’91.

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  In WSJ, Roe looks at Delaware's competitive position in the market to attract corporations

  The Wall Street Journal's "Deals" blog recently interviewed HLS Professor Mark Roe '75 about his most recent article on Delaware's role in shaping much of American corporate law -- and on how Delaware interacts with Washington in doing so.

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  Barron appointed Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General in DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel

  Harvard Law School Professor David Barron ’94 has been appointed Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Counsel in the U.S. Department of Justice.  
  

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  Two more HLS alumni to join Obama administration

  Two more HLS alumni will join the Obama administration: Preeta Bansal ’89 will serve as general counsel and senior policy advisor at the Office of Management and Budget at the White house, and Jocelyn Frye ’88 will serve as deputy assistant to the president for domestic policy and director of policy and projects for the first lady.

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  Ogletree: Reflections from an Obama mentor

  When Barack Obama took the oath of office to become the next president of the United States on Jan. 20, 2009, millions of people around the nation and around the world were overwhelmed with joy and pride.

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  Jackson urges expansion of Federal Reserve's power in Senate testimony

  In testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Harvard Law School Professor Howell Jackson '82 called for the Federal Reserve Board to become the primary regulator of financial risk. Watch a webcast of the hearing.  

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  Sitkoff Addresses Delaware Trust Conference

  Robert Sitkoff, John L. Gray Professor of Law at HLS, recently delivered the keynote address at the 2008 Delaware Trust Conference sponsored by the Delaware Bankers Association.

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  HLS alumni fill ranks of White House Counsel’s office

  Harvard Law School alumni are filling the ranks of the Office of the White House Counsel. Six HLS alumni will be working in the office, which will be headed by Gregory Craig.

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  David Kris ’91 appointed to DOJ national security post

  David Kris ’91 has been appointed head of the Department of Justice’s two-year-old National Security division by President Barack Obama ’91.

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  Harvard Law School receives major gift in honor of Laurence Tribe

  Harvard Law School has received a $10 million gift—made anonymously—in honor of Professor Laurence H. Tribe ’66.

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  Tribe named outstanding scholar by fellows of the American Bar Foundation

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  Samantha Power '99 to join National Security Council

  Harvard Kennedy School Professor and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Samantha Power ’99 will take a top foreign policy position in the Obama administration, serving as senior director for multilateral affairs at the National Security Council,
  The Associated Press reported today.

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  Jody Freeman named Counselor for Energy and Climate Change

  HLS Professor Jody Freeman LL.M. ’91 S.J.D. ’95 has been named Counselor for Energy and Climate Change in the White House. She will serve as senior advisor to Carol Browner, the White House energy and climate "czar."