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Legal Commentary

: Balkinization

Marty Lederman joins the Office of Legal Counsel

By Jack M. Balkin

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Some of you may have noticed that Marty Lederman has not been blogging recently at Balkinization. The reason is that he has been working on the Department of Justice Transition team. As of today, the commencement of the Obama Administration, he begins work as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Counsel. There he will be joined by two of his former OLC colleagues, Dawn Johnsen, nominated to be head of the office; and David Barron, who will serve as the Principal Deputy (and as the Acting AAG while the Senate considers Dawn?s nomination).

Both Dawn and David have been guest bloggers on Balkinization and I have also had the pleasure of being a co-blogger with Dawn, David and Marty on Slate's former legal blog Convictions. You may also recall that Marty and David are the co-authors of two splendid (and definitive) articles on the Commander-in-Chief power in the Harvard Law Review.

I have known Dawn, David, and Marty for years and think very highly of their legal skills, and more importantly, their judgment. I think that all three will do a splendid job in their new positions and I wish them every success.

Needless to say, I am very pleased for the country by Marty's new job. I do not exaggerate when I say that Marty is one of the finest lawyers I know, and there is perhaps no better time to put his remarkable talents to use in helping to reform a Justice Department that so badly needs reform.

Yet there is also a little sadness to this announcement, for Marty has been an integral part of this blog since he began writing on the torture memos in late 2005. He has the rare talent of being both a first class lawyer and a first class legal blogger. Things will not be the same without his amazingly sophisticated, detailed and cutting- edge legal analysis.

We at Balkinization send Marty all our of our good wishes and wish him the greatest of success in the OLC. We will keep his place for him here, awaiting the day when he finishes his service to our country and returns to private life.

Full post as published by Balkinization on January 20, 2009 (boomark / email).