Curtis E. Gannon Explained

Curtis E. Gannon
Office:Acting United States Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel[1]
Predecessor:Karl R. Thompson (acting)
President:Donald Trump
Successor:Steven Engel
Birth Date:7 October 1973[2]
Birth Place:Imperial, California, U.S.
Alma Mater:Harvard University (BA)
University of London (MA)
University of Chicago (JD)
Occupation:Lawyer
Term Start:January 20, 2017
Term End:November 13, 2017

Curtis E. Gannon (born October 7, 1973) is a Deputy Solicitor General, a career position, in the Office of the Solicitor General of the United States. He previously served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel of the United States Department of Justice. He was appointed to this position on 20 January 2017 by President Donald Trump.

Early life and education

Gannon graduated from Harvard University in 1994 and earned his master's degree at University of London, before earning a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School (where he was an editor of the University of Chicago Law Review) in 1998.

Legal career

Prior to assuming office as acting head of the Office of Legal Counsel, Gannon was assistant to the Solicitor General.[3] [4] Before that, Gannon was in private practice at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Gannon clerked for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia during the 2004 Term, and Fifth Circuit Judge Edith Jones.[5]

In 2014, Gannon argued the work shift case of Integrity Staffing Solutions, Inc. v. Busk on behalf of the Government. In oral argument, Justice Kagan posed a hypothetical to him: There was a federal judge in New York "ages ago . . . who had his clerks — all that they did was help him with his opinions and his cases and that was their principal activity — but had his clerks come early in order to cut his grapefruit and otherwise make breakfast for him."[6] Is cutting grapefruit compensable? The identity of the judge whose clerks prepared grapefruit was later revealed as Edward Weinfeld of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.[7]

On 27 January 2017, Gannon issued a memorandum approving the legality of Executive Order 13769, the controversial "refugee ban" limiting immigration from seven countries.[8]

Upon the confirmation of Steven Engel on November 7, 2017, Gannon's tenure as Acting Assistant Attorney General concluded.[9] In August 2020, he returned to the Office of the Solicitor General as a career Deputy.[10]

Gannon is a member of the American Law Institute.[11]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Meet the Leadership . . January 20, 2017 . justice.gov . United States Department of Justice . 2017-06-04 .
  2. California Birth Index, 1905-1995 (database on-line). Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005. Original data: California Birth Index, 1905-1995. Sacramento, CA, USA: State of California Department of Health Services, Center for Health Statistics. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  3. News: Barnes. Robert. Supreme Court seems to favor Miami suing banks whose lending practices led to neighborhood blight. June 6, 2017. Washington Post. November 8, 2016.
  4. News: Mann. Ronald. Argument analysis: Justices struggle to read 'tea leaves' in Congress's slipshod drafting of Patent Act provisions for inter partes review. June 6, 2017. SCOTUS blog. April 26, 2016.
  5. News: Lat. David. D-Day At DOJ: The Trump Administration's 'Beachhead' Team For The Justice Department. June 6, 2017. Above the Law. January 20, 2017.
  6. News: Barnes. Robert. When do work shifts actually end? Supreme Court hears Amazon warehouse case.. June 6, 2017. Washington Post. October 8, 2014.
  7. News: Lat. David. A Blind Item Revealed: A Judge Whose Clerks Must Cut His Grapefruit. June 6, 2017. Above the Law. October 9, 2014.
  8. News: Reilly . Ryan J. . 2017-02-02 . DOJ Releases Legal Memo That Approved Trump's Refugee Ban . . 2017-06-04 .
  9. News: McCain opposes Trump nominee over torture memos. POLITICO. 2017-11-09.
  10. Web site: Friday round-up. August 21, 2020.
  11. Web site: Elected member: Curtis E. Gannon. ALI.org. American Law Institute. June 6, 2017.