White House Deputy Counsel Resigns [View All]

[Zenlitened]

Source: New York Times

Daniel J. Meltzer, a top White House lawyer who has played a critical behind-the-scenes role in the administration legal team, is resigning next month and will return to his tenured position as a Harvard law school professor, the White House said on Friday.

Mr. Meltzer’s last day as the principal deputy counsel to President Obama will be June 1. Since the administration took office, he has worked on nearly every major legal issue the White House has handled, a sprawling portfolio that ranged from domestic policies to national security matters.

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Among other things, Mr. Meltzer played a leading role in the administration’s efforts to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and related policies affecting terrorism detainees.

He was also the White House’s main contact with the Justice Department’s powerful Office of Legal Counsel, which evaluates whether proposed policies would be lawful. The acting leader of the Office of Legal Counsel, David Barron, said that Mr. Meltzer had been a “super-calm presence” and a “very serious thinker about hard issues” in their work together.

Read more: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/07/white-house-deputy-counsel-resigns/?hp