Barack Obama's principal deputy solicitor general, who was plucked from the lofty ranks of Georgetown Law School, will continue to teach his class on criminal law despite his political obligations.
In a statement to his students, professor Neal Katyal said that while logistically scheduling some classes might be difficult, he would be proceeding with his teaching responsibilities nonetheless.
I have received several inquiries about whether I will be teaching Criminal Law in light of my responsibilities at DOJ. I intend to keep teaching the class. We will have to further adjust some class meeting times because class is scheduled to meet while the Court sits. On those weeks, classes will likely be moved to Fridays. I understand that this poses some challenges, and I greatly appreciate your working with me on this. I wish you all a very rewarding semester.
Katyal was already an incredible draw for students at the school, having handled perhaps the most significant case related to the administration's war on terror: Hamdan v. Rumsfeld. In what was Katyal's first appearance before the Supreme Court, he effectively argued that the Bush administration was violating the Uniform Code of Military Justice through its use of military tribunals to oversee trials of detainees. Now he will bring to class the perspective of the number two spot in the solicitor general's office, below Elena Kagan, the dean of Harvard law School.