John Schmidt was United States Associate Attorney General

United States Associate Attorney General

The Associate Attorney General is the third-ranking official in the United States Department of Justice. The Associate Attorney General advises and assists the Attorney General and the Deputy Attorney General in policies relating to civil justice, federal and local law enforcement, and public...

 from 1994 to 1997 under President Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton

William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...

. He has risen to small fame of late for his support of President George W. Bush

George W. Bush

George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....

's secret NSA wiretapping

NSA warrantless surveillance controversy

The NSA warrantless surveillance controversy concerns surveillance of persons within the United States during the collection of foreign intelligence by the U.S. National Security Agency as part of the war on terror...

, believing that it is unconstitutional to place limits on the president's ability to obtain foreign intelligence.

Schmidt later ran for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Illinois in the 1998 primary losing to Congressman Glenn Poshard

Glenn Poshard

Glenn Poshard is a former Illinois State Senator, U.S. Congressman, Gubernatorial Candidate, and is currently President of the Southern Illinois University system.-Early career:...

. He then ran in the Democratic primary for Illinois Attorney General in 2002 but lost to Lisa Madigan

Lisa Madigan

Lisa Madigan has been the 41st Attorney General of the US state of Illinois since 2003, when she became the first female attorney general for Illinois...

.

Prior to his service as Associate Attorney General, Schmidt served as Ambassador and Chief United States Negotiator to the Uruguay Round

Uruguay Round

The Uruguay Round was the 8th round of Multilateral trade negotiations conducted within the framework of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , spanning from 1986-1994 and embracing 123 countries as “contracting parties”. The Round transformed the GATT into the World Trade Organization...

 under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade

The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade was negotiated during the UN Conference on Trade and Employment and was the outcome of the failure of negotiating governments to create the International Trade Organization . GATT was signed in 1947 and lasted until 1993, when it was replaced by the World...

. He previously served in various top capacities for Democratic elected officials, including as the first Chief of Staff for Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley

Richard M. Daley

Richard Michael Daley is a United States politician, member of the national and local Democratic Party, and former Mayor of Chicago, Illinois. He was elected mayor in 1989 and reelected in 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007. He was the longest serving Chicago mayor, surpassing the tenure of his...

.

Schmidt is currently a partner in the Chicago law firm of Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP.

External links

• "An Examination of the Call to Censure the President" - Testimony, United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary
  United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary
  The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary is a standing committee of the United States Senate, of the United States Congress. The Judiciary Committee, with 18 members, is charged with conducting hearings prior to the Senate votes on confirmation of federal judges nominated by the...
  
  , March 31, 2006. Accessed January 1, 2009.
• FISA for the 21st Century - Statement, United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, July 26, 2006. Accessed January 1, 2009.
• For Want of a Warrant FrontPageMag, February 26, 2006
• Justice Dept. Will Lose Its No. 3 Official, New York Times, December 6, 1996. Accessed January 1, 2009.
• John R. Schmidt - Partner, Mayer Brown, Accessed January 1, 2009