Mullen Sem:Law the Presidency

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

This course will examine the legal dimensions of the institution of the U.S. presidency and the practical role of the White House Counsel--the lawyer for whom the President (and the Presidency) are the only client. Readings will consist of texts in legal theory, case law, and press on major issues confronting the Counsel in his or her professional tasks. This course is the annual Mullen Seminar, which this semester is taught by Susan Davies, J.D., who served as Deputy White House Counsel under President Barack Obama. Prof. Davies also served as both General Counsel and Chief Intellectual Property Counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, along with several positions in the Department of Justice, including the Antitrust Division, the Office of the Solicitor General, and the Office of Policy Development. Earlier in her career she served as Special Counsel to President Bill Clinton, and as a law clerk to Justice Anthony Kennedy and then-Chief Judge Stephen Breyer. She is currently a Senior Lecturer in Law at Harvard Law School and a litigation partner in the Washington D.C. office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP.