How the Senate's 60 Lawyers Voted on Bailout Bill

Brian Baxter

The American Lawyer

Lawyers across America have anxiously anticipated the fate of an economic rescue package before Congress. The House of Representatives struck down the Bush administration's initial proposal on Monday, 228-207, but a revised bill was passed by the Senate on Wednesday night, 74-25 (Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., ill with cancer, was absent), and passed the House on Friday in a 263-171 vote. President Bush swiftly signed the bill into law the same day.

So how did the Senate's 60 lawyers vote, we wondered. Only 12 voted against the plan, which had plenty of pork attached to entice potential holdouts. Of the dissenters, only two had worked at Am Law 200 firms or their predecessors. Ten of the 47 lawyers who approved the bill can claim an Am Law 200 connection.

Here's the breakdown and details on the lawyer-senators:

IN FAVOR -- 47 VOTES

A. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn.: New York University, J.D., 1965. A founding partner of Nashville, Tenn. firm Dearborn & Ewing in 1970, Alexander spent time in the mid-'90s with Memphis, Tenn.'s Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz.

Max Baucus, R-Mont.: Stanford University, J.D., 1967. Baucus was a name partner at short-lived Montana firm George & Baucus in 1971.

Birch "Evan" Bayh, D-Ind.: University of Virginia, J.D., 1981. The former Indiana governor worked as an associate with Hogan & Hartson in the mid-'80s. Before running for Senate, Bayh was a partner with Indianapolis' Baker & Daniels.

Joseph Biden Jr., D-Del.: Syracuse University, J.D., 1968. The Democratic vice presidential candidate's legal connections have been well documented, but Biden worked in private practice in Wilmington, Del., from 1968-1972 before entering politics and he continues to work as an adjunct professor at Widener University School of Law.

Jesse "Jeff" Bingaman Jr., D-N.M.: Stanford University, J.D., 1968. After working as a state assistant attorney general in 1969, Bingaman spent the next eight years in private practice. But in 1978 he ran for state attorney general and won, holding the position until 1982.

Christopher "Kit" Bond, R-Mo.: University of Virginia, L.L.M., 1963. Bond worked as an associate at Covington & Burling in the mid-'60s. In 1969, a year after an unsuccessful initial congressional bid, then Missouri Attorney General (and future Republican senator) John Danforth hired Bond as an assistant attorney general to lead his office's consumer protection division.

Robert Byrd, D-W.Va.: American University, J.D., 1963. The 90-year-old president pro tempore has never formally practiced, having obtained his degree from American after taking night classes while a senator.

Benjamin "Ben" Cardin, D-Md.: University of Maryland, J.D., 1967. During his 40 years in state and federal government, Cardin found the time to serve as the chairman of the Maryland Legal Services Corporation in the late-'80s.

Robert Casey Jr., D-Pa.: Catholic University of America, J.D., 1988. Worked in private practice in early '90s for Scranton, Pa.'s Haggerty McDonnell O'Brien & Hinton, a firm founded by his father, the state's governor from 1987-1995.

C. Saxby Chambliss R-Ga.: University of Tennessee, J.D., 1968. Prior to starting his congressional career in 1994, Chambliss practiced for 25 years as an agricultural lawyer in Moultrie, Ga.

Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y.: Yale University, J.D., 1973. Taught at University of Arkansas's law school and was a partner at Little Rock, Ark.'s Rose Law Firm, where she was considered a rainmaker for her ability to use her political prestige to bring in clients.

Norman "Norm" Coleman Jr., R-Minn.: University of Iowa, J.D., 1976. Coleman worked for 17 years in the Minnesota Attorney General's office, rising to the rank of chief prosecutor and solicitor general before successfully running for mayor of St. Paul, Minn., in 1993.

John Cornyn III, R-Texas: St. Mary's University, J.D., 1977; University of Virginia, L.L.M., 1995. Joined San Antonio firm Groce, Locke & Hebdon after graduating law school, were he defended doctors in malpractice suits. A state court judge in the 1980s, Cornyn spent six years as a member of the Texas Supreme Court in the mid-'90s. Resigned in 1997 to run for attorney general, which he won in 1999. Served until 2002, personally arguing two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. When Justice Sandra Day O'Connor retired in 2005, Cornyn was considered by the Bush administration as a potential replacement.

Christopher Dodd, D-Conn.: University of Louisville, J.D., 1972. Entered private practice for a short time in New London, Conn., before being elected to Congress in 1974.

Pietro "Pete" Domenici, R-N.M.: University of Denver, L.L.B., 1958. Practiced law in Albuquerque, N.M., throughout the 1960s but has more recently been known for his alleged role in the controversial dismissals of several U.S. Attorneys last year. Domenici retained O'Melveny & Myers litigator K. Lee Blalack II as counsel in an investigation conducted by the Senate Ethics Committee.

Richard "Dick" Durbin, D-Ill.: Georgetown University, J.D., 1969. Served as legal counsel to the Illinois lieutenant governor and the Illinois State Senate Judiciary Committee throughout the 1970s and early '80s.

Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.: University of South Carolina, J.D., 1981. Graham served as a military prosecutor in the early '80s before entering private practice in Central, S.C., in 1988 and as an assistant attorney for Oconee County, S.C. During the Gulf War, Graham was recalled to active duty as a JAG for McEntire Air National Guard Base in Eastover, S.C. Known for his work on rule-of-law issues for detainees.

Judd Gregg, R-N.H.: Boston University, J.D., 1972, L.L.M., 1975. Gregg was a name partner at Nashua, N.H., firm Sullivan, Gregg & Horton before his election to Congress in 1980.

Thomas "Tom" Harkin, D-Iowa: Catholic University of America, J.D., 1972. Harkin spent some time in the early 1970s with Polk County Legal Aid in Iowa, but for the most part has spent his life in politics.

Orrin Hatch, R-Utah: University of Pittsburgh, J.D., 1962. Hatch worked for Pittsburgh firm Pringle, Bredin & Martin in the 1960s before entering private practice in Salt Lake City in 1969.

Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas: University of Texas, J.D., 1967. Went to work for a Houston television station as a legal and political correspondent after law school, before entering business and politics. Hutchison's husband, Ray, is of counsel with Vinson & Elkins in Dallas.

Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii: George Washington University, J.D., 1952. Served as a deputy public prosecutor for the city of Honolulu in the mid-'50s before beginning a career in politics.

John Kerry, D-Mass.: Boston College, J.D., 1976. Kerry worked as an assistant district attorney for Middlesex County, Mass., in the late-'70s before spending three years in private practice prior to a political career. His brother, Cameron, is a litigation partner at Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky & Pompeo in Boston.

Amy Klobucher, D-Minn.: University of Chicago, J.D., 1985. Klobucher began her legal career as an associate with Dorsey & Whitney in 1985, eventually making partner. From 1993-1998, Klobucher was a partner with Minnesota firm Gray Plant Mooty. She was elected attorney for Hennepin County, Minn., in 1998, re-elected in 2002, and continued in that position until elected to the Senate in 2006.

Jon Kyl, R-Ariz.: University of Arizona, L.L.M., 1966. Kyl spent 20 years after law school in private practice as a lawyer and lobbyist with Phoenix firm Jennings, Strouss & Salmon.

Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.: Georgetown University, J.D., 1964. Beginning in 1966, Leahy was elected four times to serve as state's attorney for Vermont's Chittenden County.

Carl Levin, D-Mich.: Harvard University, L.L.B., 1959. From 1964-1967, Levin served as an assistant state attorney general and general counsel for the Michigan Civil Rights Commission. In 1968 he became the chief appellate defender for the city of Detroit. Levin had several stints in private practice throughout the seventies.

Joseph "Joe" Lieberman, D-Conn.: Yale University, J.D., 1967. Upon graduating law school, Lieberman spent the next decade working for New Haven, Conn., firms Wiggin & Dana and Segaloff & Wolfson. From 1983-1988, he served as Connecticut's Attorney General.

Melqiades "Mel" Martinez, R-Fla.: Florida State University, J.D., 1973. Before entering politics, Martinez spent 25 years in private practice at Florida firms like Wooten Honeywell and Akerman Senterfitt.

Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.: University of Missouri, J.D., 1978. McCaskill worked in the prosecutor's office for Jackson County, Mo., in the 1980s as an assistant prosecutor. She served a stint in private practice in Kansas City, Mo., before being elected the county's top prosecutor in 1991. She held the position until 1998, when she became state auditor.

A. Mitchell "Mitch" McConnell, R-Ky.: University of Kentucky, J.D., 1967. After an internship as a legislative assistant to former Missouri Sen. Marlow Cook, McConnell was appointed a deputy assistant U.S. Attorney General under President Gerald Ford in 1974. He later served as judge/executive for Jefferson County, Ky., from 1978-1985.

Robert Menendez, D-N.J.: Rutgers University -- Newark, J.D., 1979. Involved in politics even before he went to law school, Menendez spent some time in private practice in the early '80s.

Lisa Murkowski, D-Alaska: Willamette University, J.D., 1985. Murkowski worked as an Anchorage, Alaska, district court attorney in the late-'80s and then worked in private practice at Alaska firm Hartig Rhodes Hoge & Lekisch until 1998, when she started her own firm.

Earl "Ben" Nelson, D-Neb.: University of Nebraska, J.D., 1970. Before becoming governor of Nebraska in 1990, Nelson was of counsel with Omaha, Neb.'s Kennedy, Holland, DeLacy & Swoboda in the late-'80s. After leaving the governor's mansion because of term limits, Nelson joined Omaha firm Lamson, Dugan and Murray in an of counsel role.

Barack Obama, D-Ill.: Harvard University, J.D., 1991. We've heard that the former Sidley Austin summer associate and law school lecturer may have some legal experience.

Mark Pryor, D-Ark.: University of Arkansas, J.D., 1988. Prior to becoming Arkansas' Attorney General in 1999, Pryor worked for eight years at Little Rock, Ark., firm Wright, Lindsey & Jennings.

John "Jack" Reed, D-R.I.: Harvard University, J.D., 1982. Worked in the Washington, D.C., office of Sutherland Asbill & Brennan after graduating law school and later joined Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge in Providence after returning to Rhode Island in the mid-'80s.

Harry Reid, D-Nev.: George Washington University, J.D., 1964. While attending law school, Reid worked nights as a Capitol Hill police officer. After graduation he worked as a city attorney for Henderson, Nev., where he won election to the state legislature. Spent time in private practice at various times in the 1970s.

Kenneth "Ken" Salazar, D-Col.: University of Michigan, J.D., 1981. Salazar served as Colorado's attorney general from 1998-2004. Before that he was chief legal counsel to former Colorado Gov. Roy Romer, who appointed Salazar the director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources in 1990.

Charles "Chuck" Schumer, D-N.Y.: Harvard University, J.D., 1974. Schumer never practiced law, choosing to head straight into politics.

Gordon Smith, R-Ore.: Southwestern University, J.D., 1979. Smith briefly entered private practice in Arizona and New Mexico before pursuing a business and subsequent political career. His brother, Milan, a founding partner of Torrance, Calif.'s Smith Crane Robinson & Parker, was nominated to serve on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2005.

Arlen Specter, R-Pa.: Yale University, L.L.B., 1956. Specter served as assistant counsel to the Warren Commission in the early 1960s after which he became an assistant district attorney in Philadelphia. In 1966 he successfully ran for District Attorney, holding the position until 1974. Served two stints in private practice with a predecessor firm to Dechert, where he famously defended "The Unicorn Killer," Ira Einhorn.

Theodore "Ted" Stevens, R-Alaska: Harvard University, J.D., 1950. After graduating law school, Stevens entered private practice with Washington, D.C., firm Northcutt Ely. He left for a job at a small firm in Fairbanks, Alaska, called Collins and Clasby in the early 1950s. The two jobs led to a plethora of political contacts, with Stevens later serving as U.S. Attorney for Alaska in the mid-'50s and legal counsel to the Department of the Interior. More recently he has tapped famed Williams & Connolly litigator Brendan Sullivan Jr., as legal counsel after being indicted by a federal grand jury on several counts of failing to properly disclose gifts.

George Voinovich, R-Ohio: Ohio State University, J.D., 1961. Voinovich worked as an assistant state attorney general after graduating law school, leaving in the mid-'60s to pursue a political career.

John Warner, R-Va.: University of Virginia, L.L.B., 1953. Warner worked in the trial and appellate divisions of the Washington, D.C., U.S. Attorney's Office in the late-'50s before entering private practice with Hogan & Hartson.

James "Jim" Webb Jr., D-Va.: Georgetown University, J.D., 1975. A Vietnam veteran, Webb worked as counsel to the House Committee on Veterans Affairs after law school.

Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.: University of Virginia, J.D., 1982. Whitehouse spent the late-'80s as a special assistant state attorney general, where he headed the offices' regulatory unit. Appointed by President Bill Clinton to serve as U.S. Attorney for Rhode Island in 1994, Whitehouse initiated the corruption investigation into notorious Providence, R.I., Mayor Vincent "Buddy" Cianci. Whitehouse also served as Rhode Island's Attorney General from 1998-2003.

NAY -- 12 VOTES

Samuel Brownback, R-Kan.: University of Kansas, J.D., 1982. Worked in private practice in the early-'80s in Manhattan, Kan., before becoming state's secretary of agriculture in 1986.

W. Thad Cochran, R-Miss.: University of Mississippi, J.D., 1965. Cochran taught military law at the Navy's officer candidate school in Newport, R.I., in the early '60s before joining Jackson, Miss., firm Watkins & Eager in 1965. Within three years, he was a partner.

Michael "Mike" Crapo, R-Idaho: Harvard University, J.D., 1977. Worked as an associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in late 1970s before returning to the city where has was born -- Idaho Falls, Idaho -- to practice law. While a member of the state senate, Crapo spent the next 12 years at Idaho Falls firm Holden, Kidwell, Hahn & Crapo.

Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C.: Harvard University, J.D., 1965. Worked briefly in private practice in Washington, D.C., in the late-'60s before taking positions at various federal agencies in subsequent years.

Russell "Russ" Feingold, D-Wis.: Harvard University, J.D., 1979. Routinely billed two thousand hours a year as a litigator with Foley & Lardner in the early '80s. Feingold joined Madison, Wis., firm LaFollette Sinykin after election to Wisconsin legislature in 1982.

Timothy "Tim" Johnson, D-S.D.: University of South Dakota, J.D., 1975. Johnson went into private practice in Vermillion, S.D., after graduating law school and served as a deputy state attorney in 1985.

Clarence "Bill" Nelson, D-Fla.: University of Virginia, J.D., 1968. Nelson worked as a fire marshal and local lawyer in Florida before moving on to bigger things: becoming the first sitting member of Congress to travel into space as a payload specialist on the space shuttle Columbia in 1986.

Jefferson "Jeff" Sessions III, R-Ala.: University of Alabama, J.D., 1973. Sessions started in private practice in Russellville, Ala., at Stockman, Bedsole & Sessions. He was appointed an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama in 1975 and President Ronald Reagan nominated him to serve as U.S. Attorney for the district in 1981. He was confirmed and held the position for 12 years. He served as Alabama's Attorney General for two years in the mid-'90s.

Richard Shelby, R-Ala.: University of Alabama, L.L.M., 1963. Shelby served as a prosecutor for the city of Tuscaloosa, Ala., until 1971, during which he served as a U.S. magistrate for the Northern District of Alabama. Shelby also spent two years as a special assistant state attorney general. While in the Alabama Senate in the 1970s, Shelby served as legislative counsel from 1977-1978.

David Vitter, R-La.: Tulane University, J.D., 1988. During the 1990s, Vitter worked as a business attorney and adjunct at Loyola Law School while serving in the Louisiana Legislature. Vitter turned to Dewey & LeBoeuf litigator Henry Asbill to represent him when caught up in the D.C. Madam scandal earlier this year.

Roger Wicker, R-Miss.: University of Mississippi, J.D., 1975. Wicker served as a public defender for Lee County, Miss., and worked in private practice in the mid-'80s during which he befriended former Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott.

Ronald "Ron" Wyden, D-Ore.: University of Oregon, J.D., 1974. In law school Wyden founded the Gray Panthers, an organization dedicated to economic and social justice, primarily for the elderly. Wyden went on to become the director of the nonprofit Oregon Legal Services Center for the Elderly.

ABSENT

Edward "Ted" Kennedy, Sr.: University of Virginia, L.L.B., 1959. Kennedy managed his brother John's senate re-election campaign while still in law school. He two years in the early 1960s as an assistant district attorney for Suffolk County, Mass., before pursuing a political career.

This article first appeared on The Am Law Daily blog on AmericanLawyer.com.

Associated Press writer Julie Hirschfeld Davis contributed to this article.