Beth Brinkmann
Encyclopedia
Beth S. Brinkmann is an American lawyer
who serves as the Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the United States Department of Justice
, heading up the Appellate staff in the DOJ's Civil Division. She also served as the Assistant to the Solicitor General of the United States from 1993 until 2001. Brinkmann has argued more than 20 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court both in that role and in her later role as a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of the firm Morrison & Foerster.
, and earned her law degree from Yale Law School
in 1985. She clerked for Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun
in 1986 and also clerked for appeals-court judge Phyllis A. Kravitch
of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Brinkmann worked from 1991 until 1993 as an assistant federal public defender in Washington and worked for four years as an associate with the small San Francisco litigation firm of Turner & Brorby.
in 2002.
In 1996, after arguing a case before the U.S. Supreme Court
, Brinkmann and her boss, Acting Solicitor General Walter Dellinger, received a letter from Chief Justice William Rehnquist
informing them that brown was not an appropriate color for the skirt suit that she had worn while recently arguing a case before the justices. According to the Legal Times, Dellinger wrote back to Rehnquist explaining that no "sartorial norm" had been established for women in the office of the Solicitor General since not enough women had worked in the office for long enough.
in an article that ran in the magazine's March 2005 issue.
as the Deputy Assistant Attorney General heading up the Appellate staff in the DOJ's Civil Division.
, writer Jeffrey Rosen
floated Brinkmann's name as a future federal appeals-court judge or Supreme Court justice, likening her to Chief Justice John G. Roberts by suggesting her as a possible "Democratic female John Roberts". Rosen also characterized Brinkmann as "moderate, pragmatic and pro-business".
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
who serves as the Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the United States Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
, heading up the Appellate staff in the DOJ's Civil Division. She also served as the Assistant to the Solicitor General of the United States from 1993 until 2001. Brinkmann has argued more than 20 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court both in that role and in her later role as a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of the firm Morrison & Foerster.
Early professional career
Brinkmann graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1980 with a bachelor's degree from the University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, and earned her law degree from Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
in 1985. She clerked for Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun
Harry Blackmun
Harold Andrew Blackmun was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1970 until 1994. He is best known as the author of Roe v. Wade.- Early years and professional career :...
in 1986 and also clerked for appeals-court judge Phyllis A. Kravitch
Phyllis A. Kravitch
Phyllis A. Kravitch is a Senior Circuit Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. She sits in Atlanta, Georgia....
of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Brinkmann worked from 1991 until 1993 as an assistant federal public defender in Washington and worked for four years as an associate with the small San Francisco litigation firm of Turner & Brorby.
Work in the Solicitor General's office
Brinkmann became Assistant to the Solicitor General of the U.S. in December 1993, according to a March 22, 2003 article in the Journal of Appellate Practice and Process. She told that journal that she argued her first case before the Supreme Court on March 23, 1994. "Every time you go up there, it is amazing, and an honor and privilege being there. You also feel very patriotic—at least I do," Brinkmann told the National JournalNational Journal
National Journal is a nonpartisan American weekly magazine that reports on the current political environment and emerging political and policy trends. National Journal was first published in 1969. Times Mirror owned the magazine from 1986 to 1997, when it was purchased by David G. Bradley...
in 2002.
In 1996, after arguing a case before the U.S. Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
, Brinkmann and her boss, Acting Solicitor General Walter Dellinger, received a letter from Chief Justice William Rehnquist
William Rehnquist
William Hubbs Rehnquist was an American lawyer, jurist, and political figure who served as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States and later as the 16th Chief Justice of the United States...
informing them that brown was not an appropriate color for the skirt suit that she had worn while recently arguing a case before the justices. According to the Legal Times, Dellinger wrote back to Rehnquist explaining that no "sartorial norm" had been established for women in the office of the Solicitor General since not enough women had worked in the office for long enough.
Private practice
After leaving the Solicitor General's office, Brinkmann joined Morrison & Foerster in early 2002. As a partner at Morrison & Foerster and the chair of the firm's Appellate Practice Group, Brinkmann continued to argue cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. In a November 20, 2007 article in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, Brinkmann told the paper that she had argued 22 cases before the Supreme Court in her career. Eighteen of those times were as a staff lawyer in the Solicitor General's office, Brinkmann told ABA JournalABA Journal
The ABA Journal is a monthly legal trade magazine and the flagship publication of the American Bar Association. It claims to be "read by half of the nation's 1 million lawyers every month"...
in an article that ran in the magazine's March 2005 issue.
Work in the Obama administration
On April 3, 2009, Brinkmann announced that she had been tapped to join the United States Department of JusticeUnited States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
as the Deputy Assistant Attorney General heading up the Appellate staff in the DOJ's Civil Division.
Possible future federal judicial service
In the March 12, 2008, issue of The New RepublicThe New Republic
The magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
, writer Jeffrey Rosen
Jeffrey Rosen
Jeffrey Rosen is an American academic and commentator on legal affairs. Legal historian David Garrow has called him "the nation's most widely read and influential legal commentator."-Biography:...
floated Brinkmann's name as a future federal appeals-court judge or Supreme Court justice, likening her to Chief Justice John G. Roberts by suggesting her as a possible "Democratic female John Roberts". Rosen also characterized Brinkmann as "moderate, pragmatic and pro-business".