Pentagon General Counsel Jeh C. Johnson

In this role, he serves as the chief legal officer of the Department of Defense, also known as the Pentagon general counsel, and the legal adviser to the Secretary of Defense.

Johnson has led a distinguished legal career, in both public and private practice. He began his career as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York. There, he prosecuted public corruption cases.


In private practice, Johnson was a highly successful trial lawyer at the New York City-based law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, LLP. He tried high stakes commercial cases for many corporate clients, including Armstrong World Industries, Citigroup and Salomon Smith Barney.

In 1998, Johnson was appointed by President Clinton to be General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force, after being nominated and confirmed by the Senate. He served in this role for a little over two years, after which time he returned to Paul Weiss.

Johnson has been active in various civil and professional activities, including serving as the chair for the Judiciary Committee of the New York City Bar Association. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and was a director or trustee of numerous organizations, including Adelphi University, the New York Community Trust, the Legal Aid Society, and the New York City Bar Fund, Inc.

In 2004, Mr. Johnson was elected a Fellow in the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers.

According to the June 19th huffingtonpost.com article, ''Obama Libya War Powers Debate: Obama's Lawyers Are Worse Than Bush's, Glenn Greenwald'', Johnson, along with Caroline D. Krass, the acting head of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, told the White House they believed the United States military’s activities in the NATO-led air war in Libya amounted to ''hostilities.'' According to the War Powers Resolution, this would require President Obama to discontinue, or cut back on the mission after May 20.

However, Obama chose to listen to the analysis of White House Counsel Robert Bauer, and the State Department legal adviser, Harold H. Koh, who disagreed with Johnson and Krass. Following this view, Obama did not need Congressional approval to continue the mission.

According to the June 18^th nytimes.com article, ''Top Lawyers Lost to Obama in Libya War Policy Debate, ''Presidents have the legal authority to override the legal conclusions of the Office of Legal Counsel and to act in a manner that is contrary to its advice, but it is extraordinarily rare for that to happen.''

Indeed. The handling of the situation in Libya will no doubt continue to be the center of controversy.