Yesterday, White House officials announced that current Principal Deputy Counsel to the President Kathryn Ruemmler will replace White House Counsel Bob Bauer, who announced that he will be returning to private practice. Ruemmler is the second woman to serve as White House Counsel. In 2005, Harriet E. Miers became the first woman White House Counsel under George W. Bush.
President Obama remarked in a statement, “Kathy is an outstanding lawyer with impeccable judgment. Together, Bob and Kathy have led the White House Counsel’s office, and Kathy will assure that it continues to successfully manage its wide variety of responsibilities.”
Ruemmler has served as Principle Deputy Counsel to the President since January 2010, and prior to that, she served as the principal associate deputy attorney general at the Department of Justice in 2009. Before working as a litigation partner at Latham & Watkins 2007 to 2009, Ruemmler served as a prosecutor in the case against former executives of Enron. Moreover, Ruemmler served from 2000 to 2001 as Associate Counsel to President Bill Clinton.
Ruemmler earned a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and her bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington.
