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22 ¦ DECEMBER 28, 2020 NEWS

¦ From FORMER on PAGE 21
“He is never walking into oral ar-
guments thinking, ‘This is a waste of
my time,’” Wilkins told The National
Law Journal in a 2016 profile about
Garland after his nomination, later
blocked by U.S. Senate Republicans,
to the U.S. Supreme Court. “I think he
is always prepared to hear something
that he will be surprised by.”
Wilkins’ life before law school in-
cluded serving as an urban policy and
economic opportunity adviser in the
Obama-Biden White House Domes-
tic Policy Council. She also worked
for the Obama presidential campaign
in Michigan, the Biden transition Judge Merrick Garland of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi / ALM

team said. Racine said in a statement. “A consummate problem
Wilkins’ mother is Patricia King, a professor solver, Elizabeth has a deep understanding of a broad
emerita at Georgetown University Law Center who range of issues and opportunities that confront our
testified against Justice Clarence Thomas at his Su- country in the 21st century. We are proud of our for-
preme Court confirmation. Her father was the late mer OAG colleague.”
Roger Wilkins, a history professor and 1960s era Klain, the incoming Biden White House chief of
Justice Department leader who would author Pu- staff, earlier served as Biden’s chief of staff when he
litzer Prize-winning editorials for The Washington was vice president in the Obama administration.
Post about the Watergate scandal. Klain formerly was a partner at O’Melveny & Myers,
“A black lawyer in the corridors of power, Mr. and he clerked for the late Justice Byron White during
Wilkins was an assistant United States attorney gen- the 1987-1988 term.
eral, ran domestic programs for the Ford Foundation, “We are building a White House staff to reflect the
wrote editorials for The Washington Post and The diversity of America in every sense. These individuals
New York Times, taught history at George Mason have a breadth of experience, and will bring a com-
University for nearly 20 years and was close to lead- mitment to serving the American people each and
ing lights of literature, music, politics, journalism and every day,” Klain said in a statement. “They will ad-
civil rights,” The New York Times said in 2017 on the vance the bold agenda of President-elect Biden and
death of Roger Wilkins at age 85. Vice President-elect Harris, creating a more just, eq-
Elizabeth Wilkins is joining the Biden White House uitable, and united nation.”
from the D.C. Office of the Attorney General, where Biden will have at least a third former Supreme
her roles included senior counsel for policy and chief Court clerk at his side: His incoming White House
of staff. Wilkins worked under D.C. Attorney General counsel, Dana Remus, clerked for Justice Samuel Ali-
Karl Racine, a former Venable managing partner who to Jr. during the 2008-2009 term.
would become a key litigator in court fights against ¦

the Trump administration. Mike Scarcella is a senior editor in Washington on
“Elizabeth possesses a rare combination of ana- ALM Media’s regulatory desk. Contact him at ms-
lytical, organizational, managerial, interpersonal, and [email protected]. On Twitter: @MikeScarcella. Mike
policy skills that will no doubt materially contribute works on a slate of newsletters: Supreme Court Brief |
to President-elect Biden’s vision for our country,” Higher Law | Compliance Hot Spots | Labor of Law.

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