Mary L. Walker
Encyclopedia
Mary L. Walker is a United States
lawyer
who served as General Counsel of the Air Force
during the presidency of George W. Bush. She gained notoriety for her role in a 2003 review by the United States Department of Defense
of the so-called Torture Memos
.
on December 1, 1948. She was educated at the University of California, Berkeley
, receiving an A.B.
in 1970. She then attended the Boston University School of Law
, receiving a J.D.
in 1973.
Walker joined the legal department of the Southern Pacific Transportation Company in 1973. She worked there until 1976, when she joined the law firm
of Richards, Watson, Dreyfuss & Gershon in Los Angeles
. She made partner there in 1979, working there until 1982.
In 1982, Walker moved to the United States Department of Justice
as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Land and Natural Resources Division. From 1984 to 1985, she was the Deputy Solicitor of the United States Department of the Interior
. On September 18, 1985, President of the United States
Ronald Reagan
nominated her to be Assistant Secretary of Energy (Environment, Safety, and Health). She subsequently held this office until 1988.
She spent 1988-89 as Vice President of Law Environmental Inc. She was a partner at Richards, Watson & Gershon in San Francisco from 1989 to 1991. She was a partner of Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps
in San Diego from 1991 to 1994, and then at Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison
in San Diego from 1994 to 2001. She was also a U.S. Commissioner on the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission
from 1988 to 1995. An evangelical Christian
, she participated in the founding of the San Diego Professional Women's Forum, a group related to the Campus Crusade for Christ
.
On September 26, 2001, President George W. Bush
nominated Walker to be General Counsel of the Air Force
. She held this office for the duration of the presidency of George W. Bush.
Role in Torture Memos
On January 15, 2003, United States Secretary of Defense
Donald Rumsfeld
ordered a review of certain enhanced interrogation techniques
authorized by the so-called Torture Memos
of 2001. Two days later, William J. Haynes, II
, the General Counsel
of the United States Department of Defense
designated Walker as the head of an interdepartmental working group tasked with implementing the Secretary's request. The next week, Walker received a 2001 memorandum from the Office of Legal Counsel
, authored by John Yoo
and signed by Jay Bybee
, the head of the Office of Legal Counsel
. On January 23, 2003, General Counsel of the Navy
Alberto J. Mora
, a member of the working group, reviewed a hard copy of that memorandum in Walker's office (no other copies were made). This prompted a disagreement between Walker and Mora: Mora believed that the memorandum displayed "catastrophically poor legal reasoning", but Walker agreed with Yoo's reasoning. Mora believed that Yoo's memo was "fundamentally in error" and "virtually useless as guidance... and dangerous", and circulated an opposing draft memo, entitled "Proposed Alternative Approach to Interrogations". On March 6, 2003, the working group presented its report to Secretary Rumsfeld, determining that the reasoning behind the earlier memorandum was sound. The working group's final report was presented on April 4, 2003.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
who served as General Counsel of the Air Force
General Counsel of the Air Force
The General Counsel of the Air Force is the general counsel of the United States Department of the Air Force.By U.S. law, the General Counsel of the Air Force is appointed from civilian life by the President of the United States upon the advice and consent of the United States Senate...
during the presidency of George W. Bush. She gained notoriety for her role in a 2003 review by the United States Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
of the so-called Torture Memos
Torture Memos
The Torture Memos, sometimes called the Bybee Memo or 8/1/02 Interrogation Opinion, were a set of legal memoranda drafted by Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the United States John Yoo and signed by Assistant Attorney General Jay Bybee...
.
Biography
Mary L. Walker was born in Dayton, OhioDayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
on December 1, 1948. She was educated at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, receiving an A.B.
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...
in 1970. She then attended the Boston University School of Law
Boston University School of Law
Boston University School of Law is the law school affiliated with Boston University, and is ranked #22 among American law schools by US News and World Report magazine. It is the second-oldest law school in Massachusetts and one of the first law schools in the country to admit students regardless...
, receiving a 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...
in 1973.
Walker joined the legal department of the Southern Pacific Transportation Company in 1973. She worked there until 1976, when she joined the law firm
Law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
of Richards, Watson, Dreyfuss & Gershon in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. She made partner there in 1979, working there until 1982.
In 1982, Walker moved to the 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...
as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Land and Natural Resources Division. From 1984 to 1985, she was the Deputy Solicitor of the United States Department of the Interior
United States Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native...
. On September 18, 1985, President of the United States
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....
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
nominated her to be Assistant Secretary of Energy (Environment, Safety, and Health). She subsequently held this office until 1988.
She spent 1988-89 as Vice President of Law Environmental Inc. She was a partner at Richards, Watson & Gershon in San Francisco from 1989 to 1991. She was a partner of Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps
Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps
Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP , founded in 1873, is a prominent law firm headquartered in San Diego, California. With over 200 attorneys, it is one of the largest and highest-grossing law firms in the U.S. Avery Index ranks Luce Forward as among the country’s most prestigious law firms. The...
in San Diego from 1991 to 1994, and then at Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison
Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison
Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison LLP was a large law firm based in San Francisco, California. In 2003, the firm was liquidated under Chapter 7 of the U.S...
in San Diego from 1994 to 2001. She was also a U.S. Commissioner on the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission
Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission
The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission is an international commission that is responsible for the conservation and management of tuna and other marine resources in the eastern Pacific Ocean.-History:The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission was created by the Convention for the...
from 1988 to 1995. An evangelical Christian
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
, she participated in the founding of the San Diego Professional Women's Forum, a group related to the Campus Crusade for Christ
Campus Crusade for Christ
Campus Crusade for Christ is an interdenominational Christian organization that promotes evangelism and discipleship in more than 190 countries...
.
On September 26, 2001, President George W. Bush
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....
nominated Walker to be General Counsel of the Air Force
General Counsel of the Air Force
The General Counsel of the Air Force is the general counsel of the United States Department of the Air Force.By U.S. law, the General Counsel of the Air Force is appointed from civilian life by the President of the United States upon the advice and consent of the United States Senate...
. She held this office for the duration of the presidency of George W. Bush.
Role in Torture MemosTorture MemosThe Torture Memos, sometimes called the Bybee Memo or 8/1/02 Interrogation Opinion, were a set of legal memoranda drafted by Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the United States John Yoo and signed by Assistant Attorney General Jay Bybee...
Controversy
On January 15, 2003, United States Secretary of DefenseUnited States Secretary of Defense
The Secretary of Defense is the head and chief executive officer of the Department of Defense of the United States of America. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a Defense Minister in other countries...
Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Henry Rumsfeld is an American politician and businessman. Rumsfeld served as the 13th Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and as the 21st Secretary of Defense from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush. He is both the youngest and the oldest person to...
ordered a review of certain enhanced interrogation techniques
Enhanced interrogation techniques
Enhanced interrogation techniques or alternative set of procedures are terms adopted by the George W. Bush administration in the United States to describe certain severe interrogation methods, often described as torture...
authorized by the so-called Torture Memos
Torture Memos
The Torture Memos, sometimes called the Bybee Memo or 8/1/02 Interrogation Opinion, were a set of legal memoranda drafted by Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the United States John Yoo and signed by Assistant Attorney General Jay Bybee...
of 2001. Two days later, William J. Haynes, II
William J. Haynes, II
William James "Jim" Haynes II is an American lawyer and former General Counsel of the Department of Defense during President George W. Bush's administration. Haynes resigned as General Counsel effective March 2008...
, the 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 United States Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
designated Walker as the head of an interdepartmental working group tasked with implementing the Secretary's request. The next week, Walker received a 2001 memorandum from 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:...
, authored by John Yoo
John Yoo
John Choon Yoo is an American attorney, law professor, and author. As a former official in the United States Department of Justice during the George W...
and signed by Jay Bybee
Jay Bybee
Jay Scott Bybee is a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He has published numerous articles in law journals and taught law school; his primary interests are in constitutional and administrative law....
, the head of 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:...
. On January 23, 2003, General Counsel of the Navy
General Counsel of the Navy
The General Counsel of the Department of the Navy is the senior civilian lawyer in the United States Department of the Navy and is the senior legal adviser to the Secretary of the Navy. The Office of the General Counsel of the Navy provides legal advice to the Secretary, the Under Secretary of the...
Alberto J. Mora
Alberto J. Mora
Alberto J. Mora is a former General Counsel of the Navy. He led an effort within the Defense Department to oppose the legal theories of John Yoo and to try to end coercive interrogation tactics at Guantanamo Bay, which he argued are unlawful....
, a member of the working group, reviewed a hard copy of that memorandum in Walker's office (no other copies were made). This prompted a disagreement between Walker and Mora: Mora believed that the memorandum displayed "catastrophically poor legal reasoning", but Walker agreed with Yoo's reasoning. Mora believed that Yoo's memo was "fundamentally in error" and "virtually useless as guidance... and dangerous", and circulated an opposing draft memo, entitled "Proposed Alternative Approach to Interrogations". On March 6, 2003, the working group presented its report to Secretary Rumsfeld, determining that the reasoning behind the earlier memorandum was sound. The working group's final report was presented on April 4, 2003.