Virginia Seitz is cruising toward confirmation as head of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel — a sharp turnabout from the radioactive nature of that job for almost a decade. Seitz, a partner at Sidley Austin, is scheduled for a vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 5, and unlike other recent nominees, she has not polarized the committee with a visible agenda. When Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) asked recently about her methods for interpreting the Constitution, Seitz responded, “I do not have an overall interpretive framework of the Constitution.” Instead, she wrote, she considers each case as a “particular concrete problem.” Somewhat spicier opinions about topics like torture have kept the OLC job unfilled since 2004. Still, plenty of controversy awaits Seitz if she’s confirmed. The office’s last published memo, from April 1, supported limited military action in Libya. — David Ingram
HOLDER PLANS TO STAY AT MAIN JUSTICE
Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. is planning to stick it out at the Justice Department. Addressing reporters on April 26, Holder pushed back against the notion he’s looking to step down from the top Justice post.
