Harry Litman

Harry P. Litman (born c.1958)^[1] is an American lawyer, law professor and political commentator. He is a former U.S. Attorney and Deputy Assistant Attorney General. He writes regularly on legal and political issues for news outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and CNN. He is a regular commentator on MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News.

Early life and education

Litman grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and was named a Presidential Scholar upon graduation from high school in 1976.^[1] He received his B.A. degree from Harvard College, and thereafter worked as a feature film production assistant in New York City^[2] and as a baseball writer for the Associated Press. He received his J.D. degree from the University of California at Berkeley, where he was editor-in-chief of the California Law Review^[3] and graduated Order of the Coif.

Early career

Litman served as a law clerk to Judge Abner Mikva of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit; and Supreme Court Justices Thurgood Marshall and Anthony Kennedy during the 1987-1989 Terms.

Following his clerkships, Litman became an Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of California. While an Assistant U.S. Attorney, he was detailed to the Department of Justice's main office in Washington, D.C., to work on several national cases, including the federal re-prosecution of the Los Angeles police officers ^[4] in the Rodney King case. From 1993 to 1998 he was a Deputy Assistant Attorney General^[5] in the Department of Justice, coordinating the department's work on a number of issues and advising the Attorney General and other officials on questions of constitutional law and prosecutorial policy. Simultaneously, he was a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. In that capacity, he was co-counsel for Operation Underhand, prosecuting a narcotics ring^[6] that smuggled drugs into prison under the guise of providing religious counseling.

In 1998, he was appointed U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania^[7] by President Bill Clinton. As U.S. Attorney, Litman developed a nationally recognized gun-violence reduction initiative known as Operation Target, and personally litigated cases in the district court and the court of appeals. In July 2000, President Clinton nominated Litman for a judgeship on the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, but the Senate adjourned without considering the nomination.^[8] While in government, Litman also taught at Berkeley Law School, Georgetown Law School and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.

After leaving government, Litman was appointed a Distinguished Visitor and Fellow at Princeton University's School of Law and Public Affairs. He taught at Princeton and Rutgers University while working in private practice, with specialties in constitutional law and the federal False Claims Act.

Notable cases in private practice

Litman was lead counsel for the relator in Washington v. EDMC, a False Claims Act case against a for-profit education chain. The case resulted in the largest settlement ever in an FCA case involving the U.S. Department of Education.^[9] He was counsel for Richard Cordray, then director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, in contemplated litigation against President Trump to prevent Cordray's termination. Litman represented Pittsburgh Mayor Thomas J. Murphy Jr. in a successful effort to prevent indictment on federal charges.^[10] He also served as co-counsel by appointment of the Department of Justice in two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.^[11][12]

A Democrat, Litman served as Pennsylvania state counsel to the Kerry-Edwards campaign in 2004 and post-election counsel for Western Pennsylvania to the Obama-Biden presidential campaign in 2008.

Current professional life

Litman currently works as a lawyer, professor and political commentator. He is of counsel with the law firm Constantine Cannon^[13] in San Francisco, where he focuses on False Claims Act cases, and is principal in his own law firm. He teaches constitutional law and national security law at UCLA School of Law^[14] and the University of California, San Diego School of Political Science.^[15]

He is a regular contributor of opinion commentary to the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, and Lawfare, among others.^[16] He is also a regular commentator on legal issues for national television and cable networks, including MSNBC, CNN, and Fox.^[17] Litman is a regular speaker at legal conferences and has authored or co-authored several articles on constitutional law,^[18] criminal law^[19] and federalism,^[20] as well as scripts for law-related television shows.^[2]

Personal life

Litman is married to Julie Roskies Litman, a mathematician, jiu jitsu world champion^{[21] [22]}, and former professional bass player. Litman's parents, Roslyn Litman^[23] and David Litman, represented future NBA star Connie Hawkins in his successful suit to be admitted into the league. Litman's sister, Jessica Litman, is a noted copyright scholar at the University of Michigan.

See also

• List of law clerks of the Supreme Court of the United States

References