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Media v. Police
“The bottom line is whether the officers on the ground basically implement it and act consistently with the statement the commissioner made, and the 1999 guidelines which is where the message that he put out is from.”
– New York Times Co. Vice President and General Counsel George Freeman
Freeman spoke on the police memorandum outlining proper department procedures when dealing with the press regarding Occupy Wall Street. He agreed that police officers should not “unreasonably interfere with media access to incidents.”
National Security
“Citizenship does not confer immunity on one who takes up arms against his own country. It didn’t in World War Two when there were American citizens who joined the Nazi army and it doesn’t today.”
– CIA General Counsel Stephen Preston
“We go down a slippery slope if an individual who wants to do harm to Americans and…has decided to do violence against America based on what he read, in my view is not part of the congressionally declared enemy and we have to be careful not to go down that landscape.”
– Jet Johnson, Defense Department general counsel
At an American Bar Association national security conference on Dec. 1, Preston and Johnson discussed the definition of American citizens being treated as enemies, such as Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born cleric linked to Al Qaeda and killed by a CIA drone earlier this year. Preston said American citizens are not immune from the treatment if they take up arms against the U.S., but Johnson cautioned against calling non-combatants enemies.
Performer Predicament
“Ms. Doe’s concern about the impact of further dissemination of her age to industry employers is a very legitimate concern, particularly in light of the publicity this case has generated.”
– Screen Actors Guild General Counsel Duncan Crabtree-Ireland
The Screen Actors Guild deputy national executive director and GC defended the privacy of the anonymous woman suing IMDb for revealing her age in a declaration to the court. In light of the possible dismissal of the case, Crabtree-Ireland says research does show that performers over the age of 40 are at a disadvantage.
Spirit of Small Businesses
“It is inspiring to witness this country’s entrepreneurial spirit and it is an honor to represent small businesses every day.”
– Winslow Sargeant, new chief counsel for The Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy
Appointed by President Obama, Sargeant became the new chief counsel for the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy. Sargeant will be responsible for advancing the interest of small businesses before Congress, the White House, federal agencies, federal courts and state policymakers.
Heartbeat Bill
“There has always been a division between those who want to concentrate on what will make a difference, and those who are more interested in making a statement that makes them feel better.”
– James Bopp Jr., general counsel to National Right to Life
The anti-abortion organization’s GC expressed his views on a bill in Ohio that would ban abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detectable. Dubbed the “heartbeat bill,” the legislation has created a heated debate in the state.
Higher Education
“The vision is not that of an isolated ivory tower, but rather of an institution that is fully engaged with ideas and the world.”
– Rutgers University General Counsel Jonathan Alger
Rutgers University senior vice president and GC announced he’s leaving the university to become president of James Madison University in Virginia. In his acceptance speech, Alger spoke of his goals as the soon-to-be president of James Madison.
