Ousted US Attorney Geoff Berman to Teach at Stanford Law
Former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoff Berman will teach a course called Prosecutorial Discretion and Ethical Duties in the Enforcement of Federal Criminal Law this fall.
July 16, 2020 at 12:05 PM
3 minute read
Geoff Berman, who was ousted in June from his post as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, has temporarily landed at Stanford Law School.
Berman will teach an elective course this fall called Prosecutorial Discretion and Ethical Duties in the Enforcement of Federal Criminal Law. He will also be a visiting fellow in the Stanford Rock Center for Corporate Governance, which is a joint initiative between the university's law and business schools centered on corporate governance. It is a return of sorts for Berman, who graduated from the law school in 1984.
"We are pleased to welcome back Geoffrey to Stanford Law," said Stanford Law Dean Jenny Martinez in an announcement of the move. "Many of our students will go on to careers in criminal law, public interest, and government work and Geoff's presence on our campus is a unique opportunity for our students to learn from a well-respected and accomplished public servant and professional."
"Stanford Law School instilled within me and a great many of my peers a passion and respect for public service, and I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to return to share my experiences as a prosecutor with a new generation of students," Berman said.
Berman was pushed out of the Southern District of New York's top post on June 20 after a strange 24 hours in which U.S. Attorney General William Barr announced that Berman had resigned, and Berman denied such a move. On July 9, he testified before the House Judiciary Committee about the circumstances of his ouster, saying he was pressured by Barr to step down to make way for U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton to take his job.
Berman's new class at Stanford will look at how federal prosecutors weigh the decision to charge or not to charge and their role in enforcing federal criminal laws. It also will touch on priority and policy changes within different administrations as that pertains to charging individuals and corporate entities, and the ethical obligations of prosecutors in making those decisions.
Berman is following in the footsteps of other newly jobless former U.S. prosecutors by landing at a law school. One of his recent predecessors at the Southern District—Preet Bharara—accepted a post as a distinguished scholar in residence at New York University School of Law mere days after he was fired by Trump in March 2017. Bharara is still at the Manhattan law school where he teaches as an adjunct professor. Other former U.S. attorneys who landed at law schools in the early days of Trump's presidency include Joyce Vance White at the University of Alabama School of Law and Barbara McQuade at the University of Michigan Law School.
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