David Ogden, who during the Clinton administration led DOJ’s civil division and also served as chief of staff to Janet Reno, is leading the transition team for the department, reports the Washington Post. Ogden is currently a partner at the WilmerHale law firm.
And the paper adds that “Democrats and interest groups have been developing “to do” lists for Justice, which had deemphasized antitrust, civil rights and environmental enforcement work under President Bush.”
Ogden’s deputy on the transition will be Thomas Perelli, who, according to the Post, “supervised the government team suing cigarette makers and oversaw the Justice unit that defends federal agencies in complex legal disputes.”
We’ll be watching closely to see what direction the department moves in under the new administration. But initial signs suggest the grownups may be back in charge.