Judicial Notice (06.18.22): Bearing Witness
Lawyers testify before the January 6 Committee, Preet Bharara goes back to Biglaw, and other legal news from the week that was.
Welcome to Original Jurisdiction, the latest legal publication by me, David Lat. You can learn more about Original Jurisdiction by reading its About page, you can reach me by email at davidlat@substack.com, and you can subscribe by clicking on the button below.
Tomorrow is Juneteenth, the annual celebration of the end of slavery in the United States after the Civil War, which became a federal holiday last year. There have been a number of tone-deaf commemorations; I will simply wish you a happy Juneteenth. Tomorrow is also Father’s Day, so a happy Father’s Day to all of my fellow dads.
Tomorrow is also my birthday. Thanks to everyone for the good wishes—and for your readership and support of Original Jurisdiction, which I consider a great gift.
This week was uneventful for me on the professional front. I spent most of it with Harlan and my parents at the Jersey Shore—and I’m grateful to the Supreme Court for not dropping any major opinions while I was away.
Now, on to the news.
Lawyers of the Week: J. Michael Luttig and Greg Jacob.
I listened to the entirety of the Thursday session of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack. I was moved by the testimony of former Fourth Circuit judge J. Michael Luttig, the conservative legal icon turned Republican Party critic, and Greg Jacob, former chief counsel to Vice President Mike Pence—who was hiding with his boss from the mob raging through the Capitol on that fateful day.
For standing up for the rule of law by advising Vice President Pence against participating in Donald Trump’s attempt to hijack the 2020 election, then sharing their valuable testimony with the January 6 Committee, Luttig and Pence are worthy Lawyers of the Week. I agree with Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), chair of the Committee:
Judge Luttig and Mr. Jacob, our nation owes you a great debt for your knowledge, integrity, and your loyalty to our Constitution. You and Vice President Pence are exactly the people our nation needed at a critical time. You had the courage to do what was right. In the weeks leading up to January 6th, many people failed this test when they had to choose between their oath to the country or the demands of Donald Trump.
But there were others who, like you, stood tall in the face of intimidation and put our democracy first. They include the judges who rejected the bogus claims of election fraud, the senior Justice Department officials who stood up to Donald Trump, and the state officials whom we will hear from at our next hearing. We're deeply grateful to your courage and devotion to our country.
You can listen to their testimony online, or if you prefer reading over listening, you can check out the written version of Judge Luttig’s opening statement.
Runners-up for Lawyer of the Week:
Byung J. “BJay” Pak and Benjamin Ginsberg. B.J. Pak, former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, and Ben Ginsberg, a leading conservative election lawyer, also gave important testimony to the January 6 Committee, establishing that Trump’s claims of massive voter fraud lacked any merit.
Dana Remus and Stuart Delery. After successfully shepherding Justice-designate Ketanji Brown Jackson and around 70 other impressive and diverse judicial nominees through the confirmation process, Remus is stepping down as White House Counsel. She hasn’t announced her next role, but she plans to spend more time with her husband and toddler son. She’ll be succeeded by Delery, current Deputy White House Counsel, who will be the first openly LGBTQ person to serve as the top White House lawyer.
In memoriam:
Cadwalader litigation partner Karen Dyer passed away at 58, after battling brain cancer.
Lisa Ann Gorab, the first female president and managing partner of Wilentz Goldman & Spitzer, passed away at 61 after an illness.
Only the second woman to serve as Connecticut’s deputy attorney general, Carolyn Querijero passed away at 77 after a long illness.
Marvin Josephson, the NYU Law grad and lawyer who founded the talent agency now known as ICM Partners, passed away at 95.
May they rest in peace.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Original Jurisdiction to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.