Marty Lederman joins the Obama Justice Department.
Marty Lederman joins the Obama Justice Department.
Georgetown Law Professor Marty Lederman will serve as Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Counsel, working under Dawn Johnsen, who will head the office. Over the past few years, Lederman’s legal blogging at Balkanization has provided invaluable insight and strength to critics of key Bush policies, including torture and warrantless wiretapping. Lederman wrote passionately against the Bush administration’s efforts to legalize the use of torture:
I am increasingly confident that when the history of the Bush Administration is written, this systematic violation of statutory and treaty-based law concerning fundamental war crimes and other horrific offenses will be seen as the blackest mark in our nation’s recent history — not only because of what was done, but because the programs were routinely sanctioned, on an ongoing basis, by numerous esteemed professionals — lawyers, doctors, psychologists and government officers — without whose approval such a systematized torture regime could not be sustained.
Here’s how Lederman described the mission of the OLC in a Jan. 2005 blog post. “OLC’s proper role is not to distinguish, for Executive Branch officials, among different forms of unlawful conduct, so as to identify those that are subject to the highest criminal sanctions, on the one hand, and those that are ‘merely’ prohibited, but without severe sanction, on the other. … OLC’s proper role, instead, is to inform the Executive Branch as to what conduct is lawful.”
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Ahhhh. At last someone with cajones.
That ought to cause some concern for the outgoing Bush crooks.
January 20th, 2009 at 9:10 amThe Congress, the DoJ, and the people can come together and begin proceedings against Bush&Co while Obama remains above the fray. Lederman will be part of the team, when everything undeniable is on display before all of America, and Obama gives the go-ahead to the execution of justice, according to the will of the people.
January 20th, 2009 at 9:17 amCan you hear the Conservatives imploding? LOL
January 20th, 2009 at 9:20 amOMG! I just got such a thrill up my leg! Bang the drum, baby!
January 20th, 2009 at 9:27 amunbelievable Says:
Can you hear the Conservatives imploding? LOL
Its going to be like a remake of Scanners
January 20th, 2009 at 9:27 amHave all Bush’s pardons been announced now? What is the deadline? Is it possible that they will show up later?
I want to know who could be prosecuted. When will we know?
January 20th, 2009 at 9:29 am—————–
Wayne Says:
unbelievable Says:
Can you hear the Conservatives imploding? LOL
Its going to be like a remake of Scanners
—————–
On second thought, it may be more like the end of Mars Attacks.
Akk! Akk!
LOL
January 20th, 2009 at 9:31 am“… OLC’s proper role, instead, is to inform the Executive Branch as to what conduct is lawful.”
finally…
but, on the other hand, if one has to ask “is it legal?”, it probably ISN’T.
remember kindergarten? … same thing…
January 20th, 2009 at 9:43 amWayne Says:
On second thought, it may be more like the end of Mars Attacks.
Akk! Akk!
LOL
January 20th, 2009 at 9:31 am
_________
Or the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark. I can’t wait to see Cheney’s face melt off…
January 20th, 2009 at 9:44 amThe contrast between this inauguration and Shrubs rainy, protest filled, nearly empty streets 4 years ago says more than any words possibly could.
Welcome back, United States of America.
January 20th, 2009 at 9:58 amMaybe now all of the whiney babies on the left will stop hyperventillating over every single Obama admin choice. If the person is not “progressive” enough then I see “this is not the change I voted for!” If they are from the Clinton administration “this is not the change I voted for!” Good grief. Obama and the U.S. govt will be COMPLETELY different than the past 8 years. RELAX!
January 20th, 2009 at 10:37 am#6, Peter C, Bush has until 11:59am EST. However, I believe that sometime last night a Bush admin official announced that Bush would have no more pardons to announce.
OT, I’m watching Darth Cheney being wheeled in in his wheelchair at the inauguration. I agree with whichever poster said last night that Cheney probably wanted to be in a wheelchair so that he wouldn’t have to stand up for any standing ovations for President Obama. It seems like the sort of petty thing he’d do.
January 20th, 2009 at 10:47 amWe have a NEW President . . .
January 20th, 2009 at 12:07 pmi wonder if he agrees with Yoo that the president has the legal right to sexually torture children,,
January 21st, 2009 at 4:43 am