{"id":52358,"date":"2016-09-30T11:27:00","date_gmt":"2016-09-30T16:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-legal\/supreme\/legal-commentary\/john-dean-archive-1.html"},"modified":"2016-09-30T11:27:00","modified_gmt":"2016-09-30T16:27:00","slug":"john-dean-archive-1","status":"publish","type":"supreme","link":"https:\/\/supreme.findlaw.com\/legal-commentary\/john-dean-archive-1.html","title":{"rendered":"John Dean Archive"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n \n
\n \n
\n

Legal Commentary: John Dean Archive<\/h1>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n
<\/td>\n

Archive<\/a><\/h4><\/td>\n <\/tr>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n\n

WHY THE SENATE SHOULD HAVE AN EARLIER, LARGER ROLE IN JUSTICES’ CONFIRMATIONS<\/a>\n\n
\nFindLaw columnist and former counsel to the President John Dean argues that\n\nthe Senate should have a more expansive role in the confirmations of Supreme\n\nCourt Justices. Dean explains that, in the Court’s own view and based on\n\nconstitutional language, the confirmation process is a responsibility shared\n\nbetween the president and the Senate. In addition, he explains, a shared\n\nprocess has worked well — avoiding showy, divisive confirmation hearings —\n\nwith respect to the confirmations of lower federal court judges. The same\n\nprocess, he urges, could work well for Justices.
\n<\/span>\nFriday, Mar. 16, 2001<\/span>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHY CRIMINALLY INVESTIGATING FORMER PRESIDENT CLINTON SETS A DANGEROUS PRECEDENT<\/a>\n\n
\nFindLaw columnist and former counsel to the President John Dean contends\n\nthat criminally investigating former President Clinton would set a dangerous\n\nprecedent, deterring potential officeholders from public service and\n\nlowering the quality of our politics, in which presidents increasingly are\n\npresumed guilty as soon as allegations are made. Dean criticizes the\n\nSouthern District’s ongoing investigations of New York-related Clinton\n\npardons, and suggests that Attorney General Ashcroft might be well advised\n\nto intervene to attempt to end the investigations.\n\n\n\n
\n<\/span>\nFriday, Mar. 02, 2001<\/span>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHEN PRESIDENT BUSH CHOOSES SUPREME COURT APPOINTEES<\/a>\n\n
\nIn recent administrations, Presidents have generally chosen their Supreme\n\nCourt nominees from the ranks of judges alone. But, as FindLaw columnist\n\nand former counsel to the president John Dean explains, it was not always\n\nthus. Before Justice Hugo Black’s retirement in 1971, there was a tradition\n\nof always having a former member of the Congress, or of the Continental\n\nCongress, serve on the Supreme Court. Dean contends that in choosing\n\nSupreme Court appointees, President George W. Bush should return to this\n\ntradition.\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n<\/span>\nFriday, Feb. 16, 2001<\/span>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHY AN INVESTIGATION OF THE MARC RICH PARDON IS IMMINENT<\/a>\n\n
\nFindLaw columnist and former counsel to the President John Dean predicts a\n\nCongressional investigation of former President Clinton’s eleventh hour\n\npardon of financier Marc Rich. Dean notes, however, that such an\n\ninvestigation will not make much progress without Clinton’s cooperation —\n\nand that the former President might set a bad precedent if he were to\n\ncooperate in an investigation into his use of his plenary pardon power.\n\n
\n<\/span>\nFriday, Feb. 02, 2001<\/span>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AS ATTORNEY GENERAL, ASHCROFT WILL GO NOWHERE FAST<\/a>\n\n
\nFindLaw columnist and former counsel to the president John Dean predicts\n\nthat\n\nBush attorney general nominee John Ashcroft will be confirmed, but notes\n\nthat\n\nAshcroft’s supporters shouldn’t rejoice — nor should Ashcroft’s foes weep.\n\nDean argues that constraints that affect any attorney general mean that the\n\nposition is inherently a comparatively weak one, among those in the Cabinet.\n\nThe attorney general, Dean explains, is not only accountable to the\n\nPresident\n\nand Congress, but also must be obedient to the judiciary’s rulings, and\n\ncooperate with career attorneys at the Justice Department. With all these\n\nconstraints, Ashcroft’s ability as an administrator, Dean contends, will\n\ncount more than his ideology.\n\n
\n<\/span>\nFriday, Jan. 19, 2001<\/span>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHY BUSH’S WHITE HOUSE STAFF WILL BE MORE POWERFUL THAN HIS CABINET<\/a>\n\n
\nFindLaw columnist and former counsel to the President John Dean rebuts the\n\nrecently-touted notion that the Bush Administration will be dominated by the\n\nCabinet. Dean explains why institutional realities will result in Bush’s\n\nWhite House staff being much more powerful than his Cabinet — and reflects\n\non the historical increase in the Vice President’s power, a trend from which\n\nDick Cheney will benefit.\n\n
\n<\/span>\nFriday, Jan. 05, 2001<\/span>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BEING WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL: WHAT AL GONZALES CAN EXPECT<\/a>\n\n
\nFindLaw columnist and former counsel to the president John Dean explains\n\nwhat\n\nPresident-elect George W. Bush’s White House Counsel — former Texas Supreme\n\nCourt Justice Alberto Gonzales — can expect when he arrives in D.C. Mr.\n\nDean discusses the White House Counsel’s powers, perils, and possibilities,\n\nand explains why the White House Counsel needs to be especially alert to\n\nline-of-succession issues.
\n<\/span>\nFriday, Dec. 22, 2000<\/span>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PRESIDENT CLINTON’S INDICTMENT AND PARDON \u0097 COMING SOON<\/a>\n\n
\nFindLaw columnist and former counsel to the President John Dean predicts that \n\nIndependent Counsel Ray will indict President Clinton shortly after Clinton \n\nleaves office; suggests that the indictment issue may play out quite \n\ndifferently depending on whether the new president is Gore or Bush; and \n\nconsiders whether Clinton would be well-advised to either pardon himself, or \n\naccept a pardon from the new president.\n\n
\n<\/span>\nFriday, Dec. 08, 2000<\/span>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE TRANSITION DELAY: A SIGNIFICANT SETBACK FOR THE NEW PRESIDENT<\/a>\n\n
\nFindLaw columnist and former Counsel to the President John Dean explains the\nconsequences, for the country and the next President, that are mounting day\nby day as the transition to a new administration continues to be delayed. He\nspeculates about how the new president may be able to work to regain the\npopular mandate he will not initially enjoy.\n
\n<\/span>\nFriday, Nov. 24, 2000<\/span>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

VANISHING VOTERS: WHY AMERICANS DON’T VOTE, AND HOW THAT MIGHT CHANGE<\/a>\n
\nNow that Election Day is over, former\nWhite House Counsel and FindLaw columnist John Dean examines the reasons for\nwhy American voters are vanishing from election booths and looks at a\nsolution to stop this downward spiral.
<\/span>\nWednesday, Nov. 08, 2000<\/span>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Most Recent<\/a>\u00a0| Page\u00a04<\/a>\u00a0| Page\u00a03<\/a>\u00a0| Page\u00a02<\/a>\u00a0| Page\u00a01<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
—<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n
\n \n Was this helpful?<\/span>\n \n Yes<\/span>\n \n \n \n <\/path>\n <\/g>\n \n \n <\/rect>\n <\/clipPath>\n <\/defs>\n <\/svg>\n <\/i>\n <\/button>\n \n No<\/span>\n \n \n \n \n <\/g>\n \n \n \n <\/clipPath>\n <\/defs>\n <\/svg>\n <\/i>\n <\/button>\n <\/div>\n <\/span>\n