Virginia A. Seitz
Encyclopedia
Virginia A. Seitz is an American attorney who specializes in constitutional law
, labor law, employment law and administrative law and who has been confirmed by the United States Senate
to serve as the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel
in the United States Department of Justice
. Seitz was confirmed by the Senate in a voice vote
on June 28, 2011.
, was a chancellor of Delaware who wrote the 1952 decision in Gebhart v. Belton
, which paved the way for Brown v. Board of Education
.
Seitz earned a bachelor's degree in 1978 from Duke University
, and was a Rhodes Scholar. She earned an M.A. Oxon. in 1980 from Oxford University. She earned a law degree in 1985 from the University at Buffalo Law School
.
After law school, Seitz clerked from 1985 until 1986 for Judge Harry T. Edwards
of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
. Seitz then clerked from 1986 until 1987 for Associate Justice William Brennan
of the Supreme Court of the United States
.
as a partner in the firm's Washington office.
In November of 2011, Seitz was included on The New Republic's list of Washington's most powerful, least famous people.
by Barack Obama
.
in the United States Department of Justice. President Obama had not appointed a Senate-confirmed nominee to head the OLC, and his previous nominee for the job, Dawn Johnsen
, withdrew her candidacy after it languished for more than a year in the face of opposition from Senate Republicans.
On January 5, 2011, Obama nominated Seitz to be Assistant Attorney General for OLC.
The full United States Senate confirmed Seitz in a voice vote
on June 28, 2011.
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....
, labor law, employment law and administrative law and who has been confirmed by 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...
to serve as the Assistant Attorney General 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:...
in 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...
. Seitz was confirmed by the Senate in a voice vote
Voice vote
A voice vote is a voting method used by deliberative assemblies in which a vote is taken on a topic or motion by responding verbally....
on June 28, 2011.
Early life and education
Seitz's father, Collins J. SeitzCollins J. Seitz
Collins Jacques Seitz was a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit from 1966 until his death in 1998....
, was a chancellor of Delaware who wrote the 1952 decision in Gebhart v. Belton
Gebhart v. Belton
Gebhart v. Belton, 33 Del. Ch. 144, 87 A.2d 862 , aff'd, 91 A.2d 137 , was a case decided by the Delaware Court of Chancery in 1952 and affirmed by the Delaware Supreme Court in the same year. Gebhart was one of the five cases combined into Brown v...
, which paved the way for Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 , was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional. The decision overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896 which...
.
Seitz earned a bachelor's degree in 1978 from Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, and was a Rhodes Scholar. She earned an M.A. Oxon. in 1980 from Oxford University. She earned a law degree in 1985 from the University at Buffalo Law School
University at Buffalo Law School
The University at Buffalo Law School, the State University of New York is a graduate professional school at the University at Buffalo. It is part of the State University of New York system and is the SUNY system's only law school. U.S...
.
After law school, Seitz clerked from 1985 until 1986 for Judge Harry T. Edwards
Harry T. Edwards
Harry Thomas Edwards is a United States federal judge.Born in New York, New York, Judge Edwards received a B.S. from Cornell University in 1962, where he was a member of the Quill and Dagger society. He received a J.D. from University of Michigan Law School in 1965 and practiced law in Chicago for...
of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit known informally as the D.C. Circuit, is the federal appellate court for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Appeals from the D.C. Circuit, as with all the U.S. Courts of Appeals, are heard on a...
. Seitz then clerked from 1986 until 1987 for Associate Justice William Brennan
William J. Brennan, Jr.
William Joseph Brennan, Jr. was an American jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1956 to 1990...
of the Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
.
Professional career
In 1998, Seitz joined Sidley AustinSidley Austin
Sidley Austin LLP, formerly known as Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP, is one of the oldest law firms in the world. It is the sixth-largest U.S.-based corporate law firm with more than 1,650 lawyers, annual revenues of more than one billion dollars, and offices in 17 cities worldwide, with the most...
as a partner in the firm's Washington office.
In November of 2011, Seitz was included on The New Republic's list of Washington's most powerful, least famous people.
Possible nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court
In November 2008, Legal Times reported that Seitz's name was being discussed as a possible nominee to the Supreme Court of the United StatesSupreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
by Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
.
Nomination to the Office of Legal Counsel
On August 4, 2010, National Public Radio reported that Seitz was the leading candidate to serve as the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal CounselOffice 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:...
in the United States Department of Justice. President Obama had not appointed a Senate-confirmed nominee to head the OLC, and his previous nominee for the job, Dawn Johnsen
Dawn Johnsen
Dawn Elizabeth Johnsen is an American lawyer and professor of Constitutional law, who is currently on the faculty at Maurer School of Law at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana...
, withdrew her candidacy after it languished for more than a year in the face of opposition from Senate Republicans.
On January 5, 2011, Obama nominated Seitz to be Assistant Attorney General for OLC.
The full United States Senate confirmed Seitz in a voice vote
Voice vote
A voice vote is a voting method used by deliberative assemblies in which a vote is taken on a topic or motion by responding verbally....
on June 28, 2011.