Tuesday
Feb102009
Pres. Obama nominates first female solicitor general
Tuesday, February 10, 2009 at 2:17PM
The Senate Judiciary Committee held a full hearing today to confirm the nomination of Elena Kagan, Dean of Harvard Law School, to be solicitor general of the United States. If confirmed by the Senate, she will be the first woman to hold this position. Sen. Feingold (D-Wis.) stated, "Although women have made great strides in the legal profession in recent decades, I think the nomination of the first woman solicitor general is obviously a historic moment for our country."
Sen. Specter (R-Pa.), in his introduction of Kagan, stated, "If confirmed I believe General Kagan will be an outstanding solicitor general. She brings exceptional qualifications to the job, and will be a tough, fair, powerful advocate for the constitution."
Kagan accepted her nomination as a great honor as well. "To have the opportunity to lead the Solicitor General's office is the honor of a lifetime. As you know, this is an office with a long and rich tradition, not only of extraordinary legal skill but also of extraordinary professionalism and integrity. That is due, in large measure, to the people who have led it."
Additionally, the committee confirmed the nomination of Thomas Perrelli, former Deputy Assistant Attorney General, to be Associate Attorney General, the third-ranking position in the Justice Department. Perrelli accepted his nomination with his family standing by. He expressed honor in his nomination, and stated his commitment to the job he accepted. "I have no illusions at the size of the task. The challenges that the department faces today are enormous... My vision is a Justice Department of which all Americans can be proud, a department that keeps America safe from threats foreign and domestic, a department that at every level makes the even-handed application of the law and the representation of the interests of the United States," he stated.
Sen. Specter (R-Pa.), in his introduction of Kagan, stated, "If confirmed I believe General Kagan will be an outstanding solicitor general. She brings exceptional qualifications to the job, and will be a tough, fair, powerful advocate for the constitution."
Kagan accepted her nomination as a great honor as well. "To have the opportunity to lead the Solicitor General's office is the honor of a lifetime. As you know, this is an office with a long and rich tradition, not only of extraordinary legal skill but also of extraordinary professionalism and integrity. That is due, in large measure, to the people who have led it."
Additionally, the committee confirmed the nomination of Thomas Perrelli, former Deputy Assistant Attorney General, to be Associate Attorney General, the third-ranking position in the Justice Department. Perrelli accepted his nomination with his family standing by. He expressed honor in his nomination, and stated his commitment to the job he accepted. "I have no illusions at the size of the task. The challenges that the department faces today are enormous... My vision is a Justice Department of which all Americans can be proud, a department that keeps America safe from threats foreign and domestic, a department that at every level makes the even-handed application of the law and the representation of the interests of the United States," he stated.
Top DOJ Official Advocates Raising Liability Cap For Oil Industry
Talk Radio News Service
U.S. Associate Attorney General Thomas Perrelli made clear on Tuesday that there should not be an arbitrary cap for oil spill accidents, like the one that occurred at the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico site over one month ago.
“With respect to activities that might have the risk in resulting in a similar or major oil spill, such as we are seeing currently, we don’t think there should be an arbitrary cap on corporate responsibility,” said Perrelli during a hearing held by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Current law caps how liable companies are for economic damages caused by spills at $75 million, although a group of Democratic Senators, led by Robert Menendez (D-N.J), is looking to the cap to $10 billion dollars.
Perrelli added that if Congress voted to raise the cap and apply it retroactively, the government would likely win any legal challenges put forth by members of the oil industry.
U.S. Department of the Interior Deputy Secretary David Hayes reassured the Committee that his department is doing all it can to make sure the regulatory system is “state of the art.”
“We are committed to doing a thorough investigation and a top to bottom evaluation of whether we have the right regulatory system...and whether there is enough oversight of industry.”