obama fired lawyer when took office

by Dr. Maida Mayert 5 min read

Why did the Obama administration fire so many attorneys?

Mar 12, 2017 · That is more than twice as many as Trump attorney general Jeff Sessions fired on Friday.Indeed, there were only 46 Obama-appointed U.S. attorneys left for Sessions to relieve because Obama...

Why were attorneys fired from the Department of Justice?

Mar 09, 2009 · Mar 08, 2009 at 12:00 am When Barack Obama took office in January, the legal community braced itself for a politically motivated, mass firing of the nation's 93 federal prosecutors. But it never...

Is the Justice Department telling all remaining Obama administration attorneys to resign?

Resignations and dismissals. Felicia C. Adams, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi. George L. Beck Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama. A. Lee Bentley, III, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida.

Is Sessions'firing of 46 Obama-appointed US Attorneys scandalous?

Mar 11, 2017 · On Friday, acting deputy attorney general Dana Boente called the 46 remaining US attorneys who had been appointed under President Obama. Mr. Boente, the top prosecutor for the Eastern District of...

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How many US attorneys did Trump fire when he took office?

On March 10, 2017, Jeff Sessions, who was appointed United States Attorney General by President Donald Trump, requested the resignations of 46 United States Attorneys. Some resignations were declined by Sessions or Trump.

How long did Obama work at a law firm?

During the four years Obama worked as a full-time lawyer at the firm, he was involved in 30 cases and accrued 3,723 billable hours. Obama was listed as counsel on four cases before the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

Can Presidents fire US attorneys?

The President of the United States has the authority to appoint U.S. Attorneys, with the consent of the United States Senate, and the President may remove U.S. Attorneys from office.

Who was attorney under Obama?

Eric HolderOfficial portrait, 200982nd United States Attorney GeneralIn office February 3, 2009 – April 27, 2015PresidentBarack Obama31 more rows

What law firm did Michelle Obama work?

Following law school, Obama became an associate at the Chicago office of the law firm Sidley & Austin, where she met her future husband Barack. At the firm, she worked on marketing and intellectual property law.

What did Obama do for the country?

Obama's first-term actions addressed the global financial crisis and included a major stimulus package, a partial extension of the Bush tax cuts, legislation to reform health care, a major financial regulation reform bill, and the end of a major US military presence in Iraq.

Does the President appoint U.S. Attorneys?

United States Attorneys are appointed by the President of the United States, with the advice and consent of the United States Senate, and serve at the direction of the Attorney General.Feb 16, 2022

How are U.S. Attorneys selected?

U.S. Attorneys are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, and they serve terms of four years or at the President's discretion.

Who can remove Attorney General?

the PresidentHe can be removed by the President at any time. He can quit by submitting his resignation only to the President. Since he is appointed by the President on the advice of the Council of Ministers, conventionally he is removed when the council is dissolved or replaced.

Who was the last US attorney general?

List of U.S. attorneys generalAttorney GeneralYears of serviceMerrick Garland2021-PresentLoretta Lynch2015-2017Eric Holder2009-2015Michael B. Mukasey2007-200982 more rows

Who were Obama's cabinet members?

Cabinet officials on January 20, 2017The Obama CabinetOfficeNameSecretary of AgricultureTom VilsackSecretary of CommerceGary LockeJohn Bryson107 more rows

Who was the first female Attorney General of the United States?

Janet RenoOfficial portrait, c. 1990s78th United States Attorney GeneralIn office March 12, 1993 – January 20, 2001PresidentBill Clinton16 more rows

Why are emails about the firing of attorneys lost?

White House spokesman Scott Stanzel stated that some of the emails that had involved official correspondence relating to the firing of attorneys may have been lost because they were conducted on Republican party accounts and not stored properly. "Some official e-mails have potentially been lost and that is a mistake the White House is aggressively working to correct." said Stanzel, a White House spokesman. Stonzel said that they could not rule out the possibility that some of the lost emails dealt with the firing of U.S. attorneys. For example, J. Scott Jennings, an aide to Karl Rove communicated with Justice Department officials "concerning the appointment of Tim Griffin, a former Rove aide, as U.S. attorney in Little Rock, according to e-mails released in March, 2007. For that exchange, Jennings, although working at the White House, used an e-mail account registered to the Republican National Committee, where Griffin had worked as a political opposition researcher."

What was the Inspector General Report on the 2008 firings?

On September 29, 2008 the Justice Department's Inspector General (IG) released a report on the matter that found most of the firings were politically motivated and improper.

What was the process used to fire the first seven attorneys and two others dismissed around the same time?

A subsequent report by the Justice Department Inspector General in October 2008 found that the process used to fire the first seven attorneys and two others dismissed around the same time was "arbitrary", "fundamentally flawed" and "raised doubts about the integrity of Department prosecution decisions".

Why were some of the attorneys targeted for dismissal?

Allegations were that some of the attorneys were targeted for dismissal to impede investigations of Republican politicians or that some were targeted for their failure to initiate investigations that would damage Democratic politicians or hamper Democratic-leaning voters.

What did the IG report say about the firings?

The IG's report contained "substantial evidence" that party politics drove a number of the firings, and IG Glenn Fine said in a statement that Gonzales had "abdicated his responsibility to safeguard the integrity and independence of the department.".

What did the change in the law do to the Attorney General?

The change in the law undermined the confirmation authority of the Senate and gave the Attorney General greater appointment powers than the President, since the President's U.S. Attorney appointees are required to be confirmed by the Senate and those of the Attorney General did not require confirmation.

Why was Kevin Ryan fired?

Kevin Ryan (R) Though described as "loyal to the Bush administration," he was allegedly fired for the possible controversy that negative job performance evaluations might cause if they were released. John McKay (R) Was given a positive job evaluation 7 months before he was fired.

When did Janet Reno become Attorney General?

National Review pointed out that Janet Reno began her tenure as President Bill Clinton 's attorney general in March 1993 by firing U.S. attorneys for 93 of the 94 federal districts, this being more than twice as many as Trump attorney general Sessions fired on Friday.

Who was the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services during the 2016 election?

Trump's Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Tom Price, traded stocks of health-related corporations during the time period when Price was working on crafting the legislation that would affect those firms.

Who did Trump decline to accept?

President Donald Trump declined to accept the resignations of Dana Boente (left) and Rod Rosenstein (right). Trump declined to accept the resignations of Boente (Eastern District of Virginia), who was serving as Acting Deputy Attorney General, and Rosenstein (District of Maryland), whom Trump had selected to become Deputy Attorney General.

Who is the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee?

The call for resignations came as a surprise to prosecutors and lawmakers alike. California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, described the decision as “sudden and unexpected.”.

Who was on the list of prosecutors asked to submit resignation letters?

Bharara, who had expected to stay in his post, was included on a list of prosecutors asked to submit resignation letters Friday as Attorney General Jeff Sessions clears space for prosecutors that can be appointed by President Donald Trump.

Who will take over the caseloads?

Their deputies, career government prosecutors, will take over their caseloads until the Trump administration can appoint its own attorneys, the Justice Department said. According to the Justice Department, the clean sweep is intended to “ensure a uniform transition.”.

Did the White House move to oust Obama?

White House officials indicated that the move had been contemplated for a while, several news outlets reported. But it comes in the wake of weeks-long pressure from Trump supporters to oust Obama-era officials, who supporters say are responsible for a series of high-profile leaks from within the government.

When did Scaramucci get fired?

The West Wing had little chance to catch is breath before the firing fairy struck again. On July 31, just 10 days after appointing him White House Communications Director, Trump fired Scaramucci. This isn't even as far back as the drama goes. In November 2016, Gov. Chris Christie was pushed out in his role on Trump's transition team.

Who resigned from the Trump advisory council?

On June 1, Tesla's Elon Musk and Disney's Roger Iger both resigned Trump's advisory council after he announced withdrawing from the Paris climate accord, according to the Los Angeles Times. And a month later, on July 6, former director of the Office of Government Ethics Walter Shaub resigned, The New York Times reported.

When did Obama become a lawyer?

President Obama graduated from Harvard Law School in 1991 and was admitted as a lawyer by the Supreme Court of Illinois on Dec. 17, 1991. Prior to being elected to the Illinois state Senate in 1996, he worked as a civil rights lawyer at the firm formerly known as Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland.

When did Michelle Obama graduate from Harvard Law School?

Michelle Obama graduated from Harvard Law School in 1988, and was admitted as a lawyer by the Supreme Court of Illinois on May 12, 1989. Following graduation, she joined Sidley Austin, a corporate law firm in Chicago.

How long was Barack Obama a professor?

From 1992 until his election to the U.S. Senate in 2004, Barack Obama served as a professor in the Law School. He was a Lecturer from 1992 to 1996.

Why did Obama surrender his license?

He surrendered his license back in 2008 in order to escape charges he lied on his bar application.

When did Obama retire?

Then, after becoming president, he elected to change his status to “retired” in February 2009.

Can you get disciplinary action against a person who inactivates their license?

A: No. A court official confirms that no public disciplinary proceeding has ever been brought against either of them, contrary to a false Internet rumor. By voluntarily inactivating their licenses, they avoid a requirement to take continuing education classes and pay hundreds of dollars in annual fees.

Why was Rosa Parks fired?

Folks, she was fired by Trump because that’s what he can do.

Who is the former US ambassador to Ukraine?

Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch testified before the House Intelligence Committee. House Democrats have decided to take their secret impeachment proceedings out of the bunker and into the open for all to see. And if you don’t know this already, the Democrats’ reasoning to hold this circus is even shoddier and more pathetic than the Russian collusion hoax. The allegation is that in July, President Trump threatened to withhold military aid unless Ukraine opened a corruption investigation into Hunter Biden, son of Vice President Joe Biden, who was sitting on the board of an energy company making $50,000 a month despite having zero experience in this field of work. The quid pro quo allegation is all based on second-hand information.

Is it unusual for the Obama administration to fire ambassadors?

It’s not unusual for a new administration to fire ambassadors. They don’t need a reason; they serve at the president’s pleasure. Former President Barack Obama slaughtered scores of Bush appointees, brutally terminating their employment. It was a red wedding.

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Issues in Brief

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By tradition, all U.S. Attorneys are asked to resign at the start of a new administration. The new President may elect to keep or remove any U.S. Attorney. They are traditionally replaced collectively only at the start of a new White House administration. U.S. Attorneys hold a political office, in which the President nomin…
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Fallout

  • By April 2007, there was some speculation that the dismissal of the US attorneys might affect cases of public corruption and voter fraud. According to the National Law Journal, By mid-September 2007, nine senior staff of the Department of Justice associated with the controversy had resigned.The most prominent resignations include: 1. 1.1. Attorney General Alberto Gonzale…
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Replacement of The U.S. Attorneys

  • Initial planning
    On January 6, 2005, Colin Newman, an assistant in the White House counsels office, wrote to David Leitch stating, "Karl Rovestopped by to ask you (roughly quoting) 'how we planned to proceed regarding U.S. Attorneys, whether we were going to allow all to stay, request resignation…
  • Implementation: The U.S. Attorney Removal List
    In October 2006, George W. Bushtold Alberto Gonzales that he had received complaints that some of the U.S. Attorneys had not pursued certain voter-fraud investigations. The complaints came from Republican officials, who demanded fraud investigations into a number of Democratic cam…
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Reactions and Congressional Investigation

  • Initial reaction
    The initial reaction was from the senators of the affected states. In a letter to Gonzales on January 9, 2007, Senators Feinstein (D, California) and Leahy (D, Vermont; Chair of the Committee) of the Senate Judiciary Committee expressed concern that the confirmation proces…
  • Contempt of Congress charges
    On July 11, 2007, as Sara Taylor testified, George Manning, the attorney to former White House CounselHarriet Miers, announced that Miers intended to follow the request of the Bush Administration and not appear before the Committee the following day. Manning stated Miers "c…
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Aftermath

  • Subpoenas and lost emails
    White House spokesman Scott Stanzel stated that some of the emails that had involved official correspondence relating to the firing of attorneys may have been lost because they were conducted on Republican party accounts and not stored properly. "Some official e-mails have po…
  • Appointment of U.S. Attorneys and the 2005 Patriot Act reauthorization
    The President of the United States has the authority to appoint U.S. Attorneys, with the consent of the United States Senate, and the President may remove U.S. Attorneys from office. In the event of a vacancy, the United States Attorney General is authorized to appoint an interim U.S. Attorney. …
See more on en.wikipedia.org

See Also

References and External Links

  1. Resignation letters and emails, and other related documents hosted by WSJ
  2. Taylor, Marissa; Margaret Talev (2007-06-18). "A Q&A for the U.S. Attorneys saga". McClatchy Washington Bureau. McClatchy Newspapers. Archived from the original on June 2, 2008. Retrieved 2007-06-20.
  3. The Washington Post in-depth coverage site on firings: "Special Reports: U.S. Attorney Firing…
  1. Resignation letters and emails, and other related documents hosted by WSJ
  2. Taylor, Marissa; Margaret Talev (2007-06-18). "A Q&A for the U.S. Attorneys saga". McClatchy Washington Bureau. McClatchy Newspapers. Archived from the original on June 2, 2008. Retrieved 2007-06-20.
  3. The Washington Post in-depth coverage site on firings: "Special Reports: U.S. Attorney Firings Investigation". The Washington Post. 2007-03-05. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
  4. Inside the U.S. Attorneys Emails: Major Players and Themes The Wall Street Journal(review of the most significant of the emails).