Beth Nolan
Encyclopedia
Beth Nolan is a vice president
and general counsel
of
the George Washington University
. She was Bill Clinton
's final White House Counsel
. She served in other White House
and United States Department of Justice
positions, taught law, and was in private practice
.
(B.A.
, 1973) and Georgetown University Law Center
(J.D.
, magna cum laude, 1980). She was Editor in Chief
of the Georgetown Law Journal
. She was admitted to the bar
of the District of Columbia in 1981.
's pardon
of
Marc Rich
did not advance President Clinton's financial interests, but that she had personally opposed it.
President
Clinton nominated her in 1997 to be Assistant Attorney General of the United States for the Office of Legal Counsel
, but the United States Senate
did not confirm her. Along with
Webster Hubbell
and Vince Foster
, she had helped Ira Magaziner
prepare an affidavit explaining why he
was not required to reveal who had participated in the formulation of the failed 1993 Clinton health care plan.
United States District Court
judge Royce Lamberth called the affidavit a lie, although an appellate court
held Magaziner had acted in good faith - after her nomination had failed.
Her nomination on August 10, 1999 to be White House Counsel
did not require Senate confirmation, and she began in September.
During its investigations of the 1996 United States campaign finance controversy
, Monica Lewinsky scandal, White House FBI files controversy, and White House travel office controversy
the United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform subpoenaed White House email traffic. In March 2000 White House contractors testified that the email previously produced in response to these subpoenas had omitted probably thousands of responsive emails. Technical employees had discovered in June 1998 that the automated records management system had incorrectly scanned and logged the emails, possibly since 1994. The testified further that White House staff had cautioned them against disclosing this problem to anyone, on pain of dismissal or even prosecution. White House Counsel Nolan testified (March 2000) before the committee and a skeptical chairman Dan Burton
that it would take Northrop Grumman
contract personal 6 months to restore the data. She also said that to the best of her knowledge she knew of no evidence that anyone in the White House had attempted to conceal this noncompliance, nor that she or her office had been told of allegations of threats.
After working in the White House, Nolan became a partner with the law firm Crowell & Moring
in the firm's white collar and securities litigation group. She had a broad-based federal and international practice focuses on strategic counseling, congressional investigations, internal investigations and compliance, government and legal ethics, federal election law, constitutional and public policy issues, international claims, and other matters.
In February 2006 she published a letter to members of the United States Congress
, signed jointly with several legal scholars former government officials arguing that an NSA electronic surveillance program
was unlawful.
Miss Nolan argued in March 2007 that the Bush administration
's assertions of executive privilege
were excessive in the matter of the Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy
, both in a Washington Post op-ed piece and before Linda Sánchez
and the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law during their Hearing on “Ensuring
Executive Branch Accountability”. She said the administration might lose such a claim. At the GWU law school she had taught constitutional law
.
In 2007 she represented, along with a great many others, Blackwater Worldwide
a private military company
.
Following the Blackwater Baghdad shootings
, Henry Waxman
's House Oversight Committee subpoena
ed its Chief Executive Officer
Erik Prince
to testify. The climate of opinion among politicians and the public at large jeopardized its contracts to
provide security for State Department personnel in Iraq
.
During the 2008 presidential election
she contributed the maximum allowed to the Hillary Clinton campaign. She has also been a contributor to Wesley Clark
, Emily's List
and John Kerry
.
Vice president
A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
and general counsel
General Counsel
A general counsel is the chief lawyer of a legal department, usually in a corporation or government department. The term is most used in the United States...
of
the George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
. She was Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
's final White House Counsel
White House Counsel
The White House Counsel is a staff appointee of the President of the United States.-Role:The Counsel's role is to advise the President on all legal issues concerning the President and the White House...
. She served in other White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
and United States Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
positions, taught law, and was in private practice
Practice of law
In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiations and court proceedings such as lawsuits, and is applied to the professional services of a lawyer or attorney at law, barrister,...
.
Personal
Nolan was born in New York City, and educated at Scripps CollegeScripps College
Scripps College is a progressive liberal arts women's college in Claremont, California, United States. It is a member of the Claremont Colleges. Scripps ranks 3rd for the nation's best women's college, ahead of Barnard College, Mount Holyoke College, and Bryn Mawr College at 23rd on the list for...
(B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
, 1973) and Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center is the law school of Georgetown University, located in Washington, D.C.. Established in 1870, the Law Center offers J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. degrees in law...
(J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
, magna cum laude, 1980). She was Editor in Chief
Editor in chief
An editor-in-chief is a publication's primary editor, having final responsibility for the operations and policies. Additionally, the editor-in-chief is held accountable for delegating tasks to staff members as well as keeping up with the time it takes them to complete their task...
of the Georgetown Law Journal
Georgetown Law Journal
The Georgetown Law Journal is a student-edited scholarly journal published at Georgetown University Law Center.-Overview:The Journal publishes six issues each year. It also publishes the Annual Review of Criminal Procedure, a comprehensive practitioner's guide to criminal procedure.The first volume...
. She was admitted to the bar
Admission to the bar in the United States
In the United States, admission to the bar is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each U.S. state and similar jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission , which can lead to different admission...
of the District of Columbia in 1981.
Career
- 1980-1981 Clerk for Collins J. SeitzCollins J. SeitzCollins Jacques Seitz was a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit from 1966 until his death in 1998....
, Third Circuit Court of Appeals - 1981-1985 staff attorney Department of JusticeUnited States Department of JusticeThe United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
Office of Legal CounselOffice of Legal CounselThe Office of Legal Counsel is an office in the United States Department of Justice that assists the Attorney General in his function as legal adviser to the President and all executive branch agencies.-History:...
under then Assistant Attorney General of the United States Theodore Olsen - 1985-1993 Taught at George Washington University Law School, tenured 1992, taught constitutional lawConstitutional lawConstitutional law is the body of law which defines the relationship of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the legislature and the judiciary....
, government ethics and law, and professional responsibilityProfessional responsibilityProfessional responsibility is the area of legal practice that encompasses the duties of attorneys to act in a professional manner, obey the law, avoid conflicts of interest, and put the interests of clients ahead of their own interests....
and ethicsEthicsEthics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:... - 1993-1995 Associate White House Counsel
- 1995-1996 Taught at George Washington University Law School
- 1996-1999 Deputy Assistant Attorney General in Office of Legal CounselOffice of Legal CounselThe Office of Legal Counsel is an office in the United States Department of Justice that assists the Attorney General in his function as legal adviser to the President and all executive branch agencies.-History:...
- 1997-1998 Unsuccessful nominee to be Assistant Attorney General of the United States for Office of Legal CounselOffice of Legal CounselThe Office of Legal Counsel is an office in the United States Department of Justice that assists the Attorney General in his function as legal adviser to the President and all executive branch agencies.-History:...
(The Senate never voted on the nomination) - 1999-2001 White House Counsel
- 2001 Fellow, Institute of Politics, Kennedy School of Government
- 2002-2007 partner, at Crowell & MoringCrowell & MoringCrowell & Moring is an international law firm headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices in Irvine, New York City, Los Angeles, Anchorage, San Francisco, London and Brussels, and around 450 lawyers....
- 2007- VP & General Counsel, GWU
Other
She testified on March 5, 2001 before the House Government Reform Committee that Bill ClintonBill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
's pardon
Pardon
Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...
of
Marc Rich
Marc Rich
Marc Rich is an international commodities trader and entrepreneur. He is best known for founding the commodities company Glencore. He was indicted in the United States on federal charges of illegally making oil deals with Iran during the late 1970s-early 1980s Iran hostage crisis and tax evasion...
did not advance President Clinton's financial interests, but that she had personally opposed it.
President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Clinton nominated her in 1997 to be Assistant Attorney General of the United States for the Office of Legal Counsel
Office of Legal Counsel
The Office of Legal Counsel is an office in the United States Department of Justice that assists the Attorney General in his function as legal adviser to the President and all executive branch agencies.-History:...
, but the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
did not confirm her. Along with
Webster Hubbell
Webster Hubbell
Webster Lee "Web" Hubbell , is a former Arkansas lawyer and politician. He was a lawyer in Pulaski County before serving as Mayor of Little Rock from 1979 until he resigned in 1981. He was appointed by Bill Clinton as chief justice of Arkansas State Supreme Court in 1983...
and Vince Foster
Vince Foster
Vincent Walker Foster, Jr. was a Deputy White House Counsel during the first few months of President Bill Clinton's administration, and also a law partner and friend of Hillary Rodham Clinton...
, she had helped Ira Magaziner
Ira Magaziner
Ira Magaziner was born in New York City, New York, USA. After being a student activist and business consultant, Magaziner became the senior advisor for policy development for President Clinton, especially as chief healthcare policy advisor. He now serves as chairman of the William J...
prepare an affidavit explaining why he
was not required to reveal who had participated in the formulation of the failed 1993 Clinton health care plan.
United States District Court
United States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
judge Royce Lamberth called the affidavit a lie, although an appellate court
held Magaziner had acted in good faith - after her nomination had failed.
Her nomination on August 10, 1999 to be White House Counsel
White House Counsel
The White House Counsel is a staff appointee of the President of the United States.-Role:The Counsel's role is to advise the President on all legal issues concerning the President and the White House...
did not require Senate confirmation, and she began in September.
During its investigations of the 1996 United States campaign finance controversy
1996 United States campaign finance controversy
The 1996 United States campaign finance controversy, also known as Chinagate, was an alleged effort by the People's Republic of China to influence domestic American politics during the 1996 federal elections....
, Monica Lewinsky scandal, White House FBI files controversy, and White House travel office controversy
White House travel office controversy
The White House travel office controversy, sometimes referred to as Travelgate, was the first major ethics controversy of the Clinton administration. It began in May 1993, when seven employees of the White House Travel Office were fired...
the United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform subpoenaed White House email traffic. In March 2000 White House contractors testified that the email previously produced in response to these subpoenas had omitted probably thousands of responsive emails. Technical employees had discovered in June 1998 that the automated records management system had incorrectly scanned and logged the emails, possibly since 1994. The testified further that White House staff had cautioned them against disclosing this problem to anyone, on pain of dismissal or even prosecution. White House Counsel Nolan testified (March 2000) before the committee and a skeptical chairman Dan Burton
Dan Burton
Danny "Dan" Lee Burton is the U.S. Representative for , and previously the , serving since 1983. He is a member of the Republican Party....
that it would take Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American global aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company was the fourth-largest defense contractor in the world as of 2010, and the largest builder of naval vessels. Northrop Grumman employs over...
contract personal 6 months to restore the data. She also said that to the best of her knowledge she knew of no evidence that anyone in the White House had attempted to conceal this noncompliance, nor that she or her office had been told of allegations of threats.
After working in the White House, Nolan became a partner with the law firm Crowell & Moring
Crowell & Moring
Crowell & Moring is an international law firm headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices in Irvine, New York City, Los Angeles, Anchorage, San Francisco, London and Brussels, and around 450 lawyers....
in the firm's white collar and securities litigation group. She had a broad-based federal and international practice focuses on strategic counseling, congressional investigations, internal investigations and compliance, government and legal ethics, federal election law, constitutional and public policy issues, international claims, and other matters.
In February 2006 she published a letter to members of the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, signed jointly with several legal scholars former government officials arguing that an NSA electronic surveillance program
NSA electronic surveillance program
An electronic surveillance program, whose actual name is currently unknown, was implemented by the National Security Agency of the United States in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks. It was part of the President's Surveillance Program which was in turn conducted under the overall umbrella...
was unlawful.
Miss Nolan argued in March 2007 that the Bush administration
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
's assertions of executive privilege
Executive privilege
In the United States government, executive privilege is the power claimed by the President of the United States and other members of the executive branch to resist certain subpoenas and other interventions by the legislative and judicial branches of government...
were excessive in the matter of the Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy
Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy
The dismissal of U.S. Attorneys controversy was initiated by the unprecedented midterm dismissal of seven United States Attorneys on December 7, 2006 by the George W. Bush administration's Department of Justice. Congressional investigations focused on whether the Department of Justice and the White...
, both in a Washington Post op-ed piece and before Linda Sánchez
Linda Sánchez
Linda T. Sánchez is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. She is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life, education and career:...
and the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law during their Hearing on “Ensuring
Executive Branch Accountability”. She said the administration might lose such a claim. At the GWU law school she had taught constitutional law
Constitutional law
Constitutional law is the body of law which defines the relationship of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the legislature and the judiciary....
.
In 2007 she represented, along with a great many others, Blackwater Worldwide
Blackwater Worldwide
Xe Services LLC, better known by its former names, Blackwater USA and Blackwater Worldwide, is a private military company founded in 1997 by Erik Prince and Al Clark.. Xe is currently the largest of the U.S. State Department's three private security contractors...
a private military company
Private military company
A private military company or provides military and security services. These combatants are commonly known as mercenaries, though modern-day PMCs refer to their staff as security contractors, private military contractors or private security contractors, and refer to themselves as private military...
.
Following the Blackwater Baghdad shootings
Blackwater Baghdad shootings
On September 16, 2007, Blackwater military contractors allegedly shot and killed 17 Iraqi civilians in Nisour Square, Baghdad. The fatalities occurred while a Blackwater Personal Security Detail was clearing the way for a convoy of US State Department vehicles en route to a meeting in western...
, Henry Waxman
Henry Waxman
Henry Arnold Waxman is the U.S. Representative for , serving in Congress since 1975. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He is considered to be one of the most influential liberal members of Congress...
's House Oversight Committee subpoena
Subpoena
A subpoena is a writ by a government agency, most often a court, that has authority to compel testimony by a witness or production of evidence under a penalty for failure. There are two common types of subpoena:...
ed its Chief Executive Officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
Erik Prince
Erik Prince
Erik Dean Prince is the founder and formerly the sole owner of the private military company Xe Services LLC, formerly Blackwater Worldwide. On March 2, 2009, Prince announced that he was stepping down as CEO of Xe. He is currently living abroad in the United Arab Emirates, where he is creating a...
to testify. The climate of opinion among politicians and the public at large jeopardized its contracts to
provide security for State Department personnel in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
.
During the 2008 presidential election
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
she contributed the maximum allowed to the Hillary Clinton campaign. She has also been a contributor to Wesley Clark
Wesley Clark
Wesley Kanne Clark, Sr., is a retired general of the United States Army. Graduating as valedictorian of the class of 1966 at West Point, he was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to the University of Oxford where he obtained a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, and later graduated from the...
, Emily's List
EMILY's List
EMILY's List is a political action committee in the United States that aims to help elect female candidates to office. It was founded by Ellen Malcolm in 1984....
and John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
.
Memberships and recognition
- Board of Directors of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under LawLawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under LawThe Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights under Law, often simply The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights or Lawyers' Committee, is a civil rights organization that was founded in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy.-Origins: 1963-1973:...
- Board of Directors of the Arthritis Foundation of the National Capital Area
- Board of Advisors of the Harvard Law & Policy Review
- National Commission on Judicial Discipline and Removal (1993)
- Best Lawyers in America 2008
- Washington Super Lawyers 2008.
Writings
- Nolan, Beth. Removing Conflicts from the Administration of Justice: Conflicts of Interest and Independent Counsels under the Ethics in Government Act, 79 GEO. L.J. 1 (1990). K7 .E645
- Nolan, Beth. The Role of Judicial Ethics in the Discipline and Removal of Federal Judges.