[Thanks to Orin and Elie for the welcome back to the blogosphere, and welcome readers from The Volokh Conspiracy and Above the Law! Check things out, bookmark Law Dork and come back soon!]
After a lengthy absence from the Web, I have left state government and decided to return to the blogosphere with Law Dork, 2.0.
As I begin blogging again, the most important issue for me is a focus on how government can and should work for the people. As the new Administration begins in Washington, D.C., there are going to be many questions raised about how government best works for the people. From debates about regulatory reform in the financial industry and across the federal bureaucracy to the interaction between state and federal government, these are, at base, questions about how government can best serve the people.
During the Bush Administration, many state governors, attorneys general and other elected officials began to play a more active role in areas of government considered the province of the federal government since the New Deal. If the “change” promised during President Barack Obama’s campaign is realized, state regulators will be forced to reconsider changes that they have made when adapting to the federal de-regulatory era of the Bush Administration. The Obama Administration, as well, must consider how it will treat those state regulators — both regarding legal questions about preemption and when considering practical questions about lines of communication between the federal government and the states.
In addition to issues regarding state regulators and the interplay of state and federal regulation, I also have significant interest in what I and others would term “access to justice” questions. These are the questions about private enforcement of state and federal laws, and — though sometimes overlapping with preemption and other state and federal regulatory issues — often raise new questions in and of themselves. These, too, are important questions to consider when examining ways in which the government can better serve the people.
Of course, try as I might, I am aware that my interests are many. As readers from the original Law Dork know well, I have a strong interest in many legal and political questions. Although my time in state government has honed some of that interest, and although I hope to focus primarily on the topics described above, I know that I will at times branch out into other areas, including LGBT legal and political issues and other breaking news that might catch my interest.
Blogging is, of course, an interactive process, and my hope is that you, my readers, will contribute early and often to the discussion. I welcome dissent but encourage civility. Please, feel free to comment or send me e-mail.
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Chris Geidner is a lawyer in Washington, D.C., who writes at Law Dork, contributes regularly to Metro Weekly and has written for The Atlantic Online, Advocate.com, Salon and other publications. An extended biography can be found
Chris….
Great to see you back in the blogosphere. Mind telling us what you’re up to professionally these days? I’d read that you were working in Marc Dann’s office, and assumed you’d left when he did. Are you back at your old firm? Hanging out your own shingle? Decided to forego practice for politics?
At any rate, it’s great to see you blogging again.
Donald (formerly of All Deliberate Speed)
Professionally these days, I am still figuring out what’s next for me. But a big part of what I want to do is continue — from outside of the A.G.’s Office — to explore and push for the type of work I learned about and began while in the Office.
Chris:
It’s nice to be able to read you again — even if you are a dork.
Good luck, and I will keep reading.
Welcome back to the blogosphere, Chris!