Academic

Yes, we can, but will we?

By Muriel Morisey

After the euphoria, will legal academics who supported President-elect Obama’s candidacy now help him govern? Will we exchange the thrill of involvement in a world-changing movement for the relatively mundane challenges of working in and with the the executive and legislative branches of government? Will we use the Obama presidency to validate the importance of laws expressed in statutes and administrative regulations? Will we encourage our best students to consider jobs in government and policy advocacy, though they lack the rewards of huge paychecks and social prestige?

President Obama will need skillful lawyers engaged in arcane regulatory processes.  For example, undoing Bush administration damage to civil rights, civil liberties, criminal justice, education, the environment and human rights will require the the rewriting of many regulations.  This is unglamorous and often tedious work. Who will do it as many career government lawyers retire?

President Obama will need the support of skilled lawyers engaged with Congress, directly and indirectly.  We can set aside our pride in nuanced, complex thoughts on law and policy topics long enough to write accessible issue briefs aimed at policymakers. We can testify before Congress in our areas of expertise.

None of this sounds, or is as exciting as what many of us have just experienced. President Obama will disappoint many of us with some of his policy stances. As a candidate he already has. However, we will soon have a President with the intellectual gifts,  steadiness of purpose, grit, temperament, judgment, and administrative skills to govern this nation with greatness.  Yes, he can.  Will we help him?

ShareThis

Full post as published by BlackProf on November 05, 2008 (boomark / email).