Kathryn Ruemmler

Kathryn "Kathy" Ruemmler (born April 19, 1971) is an attorney who formerly served as White House Counsel to President Barack Obama. She previously worked as Principal Deputy White House Counsel.

Early life and education

A graduate of Richland High School in Richland, Washington, Ruemmler received a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Washington and earned her Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center. She also served as Editor-in-Chief of the Georgetown Law Journal.

Legal career

Ruemmler is a former federal prosecutor who helped lead the government’s case against the former executives of Enron. In 2006, she delivered the government's closing argument in the trial of former Enron executives Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling, both of whom were convicted. She returned to Latham in 2007, this time as a partner. From 2000 to 2001 she served as Associate Counsel to President Clinton. She was a litigation partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Latham & Watkins from 2007 but left in January 2009 to serve as principal associate deputy attorney general at the Justice Department.

White House

The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States, located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. It has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800.

The house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia Creek sandstone in the Neoclassical style. When Thomas Jefferson moved into the house in 1801, he (with architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe) expanded the building outward, creating two colonnades that were meant to conceal stables and storage. However, in 1814, during the War of 1812, the mansion was set ablaze by the British Army in the Burning of Washington, destroying the interior and charring much of the exterior. Reconstruction began almost immediately, and President James Monroe moved into the partially reconstructed Executive Residence in October 1817. Construction continued with the addition of the South Portico in 1824 and the North in 1829.

White House Counsel

The White House Counsel is a staff appointee of the President of the United States whose role is to advise the President on all legal issues concerning the President and his/her Administration. The current White House Counsel is W. Neil Eggleston.

Responsibilities

The Office of Counsel to the President was created in 1943, and is responsible for advising on all legal aspects of policy questions, legal issues arising in connection with the President's decision to sign or veto legislation, ethical questions, financial disclosures, and conflicts of interest during employment and post employment. The Counsel's Office also helps define the line between official and political activities, oversees executive appointments and judicial selection, handles Presidential pardons, reviews legislation and Presidential statements, and handles lawsuits against the President in his role as President, as well as serving as the White House contact for the Department of Justice.

Limitations

Although the White House Counsel offers legal advice to the President, the Counsel does so in the President's official capacity, and does not serve as the President's personal attorney. Therefore, controversy has emerged over the scope of the attorney–client privilege between the Counsel and the President. It is clear, however, that the privilege does not apply in personal matters, such as impeachment proceedings; thus, in such situations the President relies on a personal attorney for confidential legal advice.