Legal News

Second-Chairing the White House: A Look at Potential Lawyer-Veeps

By Dan Slater

This morning, we spent some time clicking through an excellent graphic, put together by our colleagues on the politics desk, that lays out 26 possible vice presidents for both an Obama and a McCain administration. We were pleased to see that, beginning with the Democrats, nine of the 14 have law degrees. So, with a little crack research, we ginned up an LB list of our own. We’ll give you the Republicans tomorrow. But, for today, here are the Democratic possibilities for vice president, filtered through the lawyer’s lens:

Joe Biden (U. of Delaware, Syracuse Law): Biden, 65, the longest-serving U.S. senator in Delaware history, practiced law briefly in Wilmington before a stint in local politics led to Biden, at age 29, becoming one of the youngest U.S. senators in history. Here’s his Web site.

Hillary Rodham Clinton (Wellesley, Yale Law): According to Clinton’s Web site, at Yale she represented foster children. Following graduation, Clinton, 61, became a staff attorney for the Children’s Defense Fund. “After serving as only one of two women lawyers on the staff of the House Judiciary Committee considering the impeachment of Richard Nixon,” says her site, “Hillary chose not to pursue offers from major law firms. Instead she followed her heart and a man named Bill Clinton to Arkansas.” While in Arkansas, of course, she spent several years at the Rose Law Firm.

Tim Kaine (U. of Missouri, Harvard Law): Long before becoming Governor of Virginia, Kaine, according to his site, took a detour to Latin America. While at Harvard law, he took a year off to volunteer with missionaries in Honduras, where he served as the principal of a Catholic school that taught teenagers carpentry and welding skills. Back in Richmond, Kaine, 50, practiced law for 17 years, representing people who had been denied housing opportunities due race or disability. Kaine also taught legal ethics for six years at U. of Richmond law.

Amy Klobuchar (Yale, U. of Chicago Law): Klobuchar, 48, hails from the LB’s home state — that’s Minnesota! — and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006. But the coolest thing about Klobuchar, who in 1985 returned to the Land of 10,000 Lakes to practice law, is that her senior thesis at Yale was published as a book, “Uncovering the Dome.” According to her site, it chronicles the 10-year-history behind the building of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, where the LB spent many memorable days in our youth cheering on the Vikings and Twins.

Claire McCaskill (U. of Missouri undergrad/law): McCaskill, who turns 55 next month, is now a U.S. senator. But before shooting to stardom as an assistant prosecutor trying sex crimes and homicides, she worked as a waitress to get through college and law school. She clerked for the Missouri Court of Appeals in Kansas City, eventually becoming the first female prosecutor in Jackson County, according to her site.

Janet Napolitano (Santa Clara U., UVA Law): Napolitano, 50, is currently Arizona’s governor. Prior to politics, she served as U.S. Attorney for Arizona and as Arizona’s first female AG.

Sam Nunn (Emory U., Emory Law): Just three months away from his 70th birthday, Nunn is the oldest potential VP mentioned by the Journal. After serving in the Senate, he practiced international and corporate law at King & Spalding in Atlanta. These days, Nunn serves as CEO and Co-Chairman of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a charitable organization working to reduce the threats from nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. According to this bio, he also teaches at the School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech.

Ed Rendell (U. Penn, Villanova Law): Rendell, 64, the governor of Pennsylvania, was an active Clinton supporter, which might hurt his VP chances in an Obama administration. In the 70’s and 80’s, he served two terms as Philly’s DA before being elected mayor of Philadelphia in 1992. Here’s his site.

Jim Webb (Naval Academy, Georgetown Law): Webb, 63, currently a Virginia senator, has one of the more varied backgrounds among the VP hopefuls. In addition to his work in Congress and on behalf of veterans, Webb is also a writer. According to his site, he’s authored eight books, including six novels. He also wrote and produced “The Rules of Engagement,” a 2000 flick with Samuel L. Jackson, Tommy Lee Jones and Sir Ben Kingsley. As a journalist, he covered Afghanistan. In 2004, he earned an Emmy for his PBS coverage of the U.S. Marines in Beirut.

LBe’rs: Did we miss anyone? Any other Veep/Lawyer candidates that Obama should consider?

Full post as published by Law Blog - WSJ.com on June 18, 2008 (boomark / email).