The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
December 19, 2013

President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:

  • Paige Eve Alexander – Assistant Administrator for the Middle East, United States Agency for International Development
  • Sharon Y. Bowen – Commissioner, Commodity Futures Trading Commission
  • John C. Cruden – Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division, Department of Justice
  • Janet McCabe – Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation, Environmental Protection Agency
  • Leon Rodriguez – Director of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland Security
  • Ambassador David B. Shear – Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs, Department of Defense 

President Obama also announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:

  • Jane Watson Stetson – Member, Board of Trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
  • Mary Jacksteit – Chairman, Federal Service Impasses Panel, Federal Labor Relations Authority
  • Martin H. Malin  – Member, Federal Service Impasses Panel, Federal Labor Relations Authority
  • Don Wasserman – Member, Federal Service Impasses Panel, Federal Labor Relations Authority
  • Eric Dannenmaier – Member, Joint Public Advisory Committee of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation
  • Robert Varney  – Member, Joint Public Advisory Committee of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation
  • James J. Murren – Member, National Infrastructure Advisory Council
  • Hill Harper – Member, President’s Cancer Panel 

President Obama said, “I am grateful these accomplished men and women have agreed to join this Administration, and I’m confident they will serve ably in these important roles. I look forward to working with them in the coming months and years.”

President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:

Paige Eve Alexander, Nominee for Assistant Administrator for the Middle East, United States Agency for International Development

Paige Eve Alexander is the Assistant Administrator for Europe and Eurasia at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), a position she has held since 2010.  Previously, Ms. Alexander was the Senior Vice President at IREX.  Prior to joining IREX in 2001, Ms. Alexander served for eight years in a number of positions within USAID’s Bureau for Europe and Eurasia, including Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator.  Ms. Alexander served as Associate Director of Project Liberty at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and as a consultant to the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the C.S. Mott Foundation, and the Open Society Institute.  She also served as a Board Member for the Project on Middle East Democracy.  Ms. Alexander received a B.A. from Tulane University.

Sharon Y. Bowen, Nominee for Commissioner, Commodity Futures Trading Commission

Sharon Y. Bowen is a partner at the law firm of Latham & Watkins LLP.  She joined Latham & Watkins as an associate in 1988 and became partner in 1991.  Prior to this, from 1982 to 1988, Ms. Bowen was an associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP.  Ms. Bowen also currently serves as a Member and Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation, a position she has held since 2010.  She has served on the Boards of Northwestern University School of Law, the New York City Economic Development Corporation, the New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, and Public Education Needs Civic Involvement in Learning.  Ms. Bowen received a B.A. from the University of Virginia, a J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law, and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management.

John C. Cruden, Nominee for Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division, Department of Justice

John C. Cruden is President of the Environmental Law Institute, a position he has held since 2011.  Mr. Cruden previously served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General from 1995 to 2011 and as Chief of the Environmental Enforcement Section from 1991 to 1995 in the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ).  Before joining DOJ, Mr. Cruden was the Chief Legislative Counsel of the Army.  He completed military legal assignments as a criminal prosecutor in Germany, and served as a Staff Judge Advocate as well as Chief of the Litigation Branch in Europe.  Mr. Cruden was General Counsel for the Defense Nuclear Agency and Director of Administrative and Civil Law at the Judge Advocate General’s School in Charlottesville, Virginia.  Before becoming an attorney, he served in Airborne, Ranger, and Special Forces units in Germany and Vietnam.  Mr. Cruden has been the President of the District of Columbia Bar Association and Chairman of the American Bar Association’s Section of  Environment, Energy and Natural Resources.  He is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and received an M.A. in Government and Foreign Relations from the University of Virginia and a J.D. from Santa Clara Law School.

Janet McCabe, Nominee for Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation, Environmental Protection Agency

Janet McCabe is the Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation at the Environmental Protection Agency, a position she has held since 2009.  Previously, Ms. McCabe was Executive Director of Improving Kids’ Environment, Inc. and an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Health at the Indiana University School of Medicine from 2005 to 2009.  Ms. McCabe worked as Assistant Commissioner in the Office of Air Quality at the Indiana Department of Environmental Management from 1998 to 2005 and previously served as Branch Chief from 1993 to 1998.  Ms. McCabe served as Assistant Attorney General for Environmental Protection for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1984 to 1989 and as Assistant Secretary for Environmental Impact Review from 1989 to 1993.  From 1983 to 1984, Ms. McCabe was a law clerk for Justice Neil L. Lynch in the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.  Ms. McCabe received an A.B. from Harvard College, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Leon Rodriguez, Nominee for Director of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland Security

Leon Rodriguez is the Director of the Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Health and Human Services, a position he has held since 2011.  From 2010 to 2011, he served as Chief of Staff and Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the Department of Justice (DOJ).  Previously, Mr. Rodriguez was County Attorney for Montgomery County, Maryland from 2007 to 2010.  He was a principal at Ober, Kaler, Grimes & Shriver in Washington, D.C. from 2001 to 2007.  He served in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania from 1997 to 2001, first as Chief of the White Collar Crimes Section from 1998 to 1999 and then as First Assistant U.S. Attorney until his departure.  Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Rodriguez was a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division at DOJ from 1994 to 1997 and a Senior Assistant District Attorney at the Kings County District Attorney’s Office in New York from 1988 to 1994.  He received a B.A. from Brown University and a J.D. from Boston College Law School.     

Ambassador David B. Shear, Nominee for Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs, Department of Defense

Ambassador David B. Shear is the U.S. Ambassador to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, a position he has held since 2011.  From 2009 to 2011, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the Department of State (DOS).  Previously, he was the Director of the Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs at DOS.  Mr. Shear joined the Foreign Service in 1982 and has served in Sapporo, Beijing, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, and Washington, D.C.  Mr. Shear received a B.A. from Earlham College and an M.A from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and has attended Waseda University, Taiwan National University, and Nanjing University.

President Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:

Jane Watson Stetson, Appointee for Member, Board of Trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Jane Watson Stetson served as National Finance Chair of the Democratic National Committee from 2009 to 2012.  From 2007 to 2008, she was Vermont Finance Chair for the Obama for America campaign.  From 2005 to 2006, Ms. Stetson served as Finance Chair for Congressman Peter Welch.  In 1997, Ms. Stetson co-founded the William E. Boyle, Jr. Community Pediatrics Program at Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth.  She is Chair of the Partners for Community Wellness at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.  She also chairs its Executive Committee, and formerly served on its Community Advisory Board.  She also served on the boards of the Mountain School of Milton Academy in Vershire, Vermont and Proctor Academy in Andover, New Hampshire. 

Mary Jacksteit, Appointee for Chairman, Federal Service Impasses Panel, Federal Labor Relations Authority

Mary Jacksteit has been a sole practitioner of her own facilitation and mediation firm since 2000.  She is Chairman of the Federal Service Impasses Panel, a position she has held since her appointment in 2009.  She is currently working with the National Institute for Civil Discourse supporting the National Dialogue on Mental Health launched by President Obama in 2013.  From 2003 to 2006, Ms. Jacksteit directed the Collaboration DC project at Search for Common Ground.  From 1993 to 1999, Ms. Jacksteit was the Project Director of Search for Common Ground's Network for Life and Choice.  From 1977 to 1984, Ms. Jacksteit served as Attorney and Deputy General Counsel for the American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO.  Ms. Jacksteit was previously a Member of the Federal Service Impasses Panel from 1995 to 2002.  Ms. Jacksteit received a B.A. from University of Pittsburgh, a J.D. from Georgetown University, and an M.S. from George Mason University. 

Martin H. Malin, Appointee for Member, Federal Service Impasses Panel, Federal Labor Relations Authority

Martin H. Malin is the Director of the Institute for Law and the Workplace and a professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology’s (IIT) Chicago-Kent College of Law.  He is a Member of the Federal Service Impasses Panel, a position he has held since his appointment in 2009.  He served as a Norman and Edna Freehling Scholar from 1990 to 1993.  Mr. Malin has been an Arbitrator, Mediator, and Hearing Officer working on panels in the Chicago area since 1984.  From 1984 to 1986, Mr. Malin was a consultant to Illinois’ public employment labor boards.  From 1978 to 1980, he was an assistant professor of business law at The Ohio State University.  From 1976 to 1978, Mr. Malin was a law clerk to the Honorable Robert E. DeMascio, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.  Mr. Malin serves as Secretary of the American Bar Association’s Section on Labor and Employment Law and as a member of the Board of Governors of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers.  Previously, he served on the Board of Governors of the National Academy of Arbitrators.  Mr. Malin received a B.A. from Michigan State University and a J.D. from George Washington University.

Don Wasserman, Appointee for Member, Federal Service Impasses Panel, Federal Labor Relations Authority

Don Wasserman has been a labor relations professional for his entire career.  He is a Member of the Federal Service Impasses Panel, a position he has held since his appointment in 2009.  Since 2001, he has arbitrated and mediated disputes within various state and local government services, the Federal Government, and the non-profit and corporate sectors.   From 1995 to 2001, Mr. Wasserman served as a Member and then Chairman of the Federal Labor Relations Authority.  From 1967 to 1995, Mr. Wasserman was the Assistant to the President and Director of Research and Collective Bargaining at the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.  Mr. Wasserman is also a member of the D.C. Public Employee Relations Board and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Employee Relations Council.  He has also been on the labor rosters of the American Arbitration Association, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, and National Mediation Board.  Mr. Wasserman received a B.S. from Temple University and an M.B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Eric Dannenmaier, Appointee for Member, Joint Public Advisory Committee of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation
Dr. Eric Dannenmaier is a Professor of Law at the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, where he has been a member of the faculty since 2007.  Dr. Dannenmaier was a visiting Associate Professor of Law at Tulane University from 2006 to 2007 and served as Director of Tulane’s Institute for Environmental Law and Policy from 2001 to 2005.  In 2001, Dr. Dannenmaier was a Visiting Chair of Natural Resources Law at the University of Calgary.  From 2000 to 2001, he served as an adjunct associate professor and from 1996 to 1999, he was a Professorial Lecturer at American University Washington College of Law.  Concurrently, from 1996 to 2001, Dr. Dannenmaier served as the Director of the Environmental Law Program of the U.S. Agency for International Development.  He was an environmental attorney at Bryan, Cave, LLP from 1990 to 1995; a Litigation Attorney at McDermott, Will & Emery from 1985 to 1990; and an Associate Attorney at Herrick & Smith from 1984 to 1985.  Dr. Dannenmaier received a B.A. from Drury University, a J.D. from Boston University School of Law, an M.St. from Oxford University, and an L.L.M and J.S.D. from Columbia Law School.

Robert Varney, Appointee for Member, Joint Public Advisory Committee of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation

Robert Varney is the Executive Vice President of Normandeau Associates, a position he has held since 2009.  Previously, Mr. Varney served as the Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 1 (New England) Administrator from 2001 to 2009.  From 1989 to 2001, he was the Commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services and in 1989, he served as the Director of the New Hampshire Office of State Planning.  Mr. Varney was the Executive Director of Nashua Regional Planning from 1987 to 1989 and served as the Executive Director of the Upper Valley-Lake Sunapee Council from 1983 to 1987.  Mr. Varney received a B.A. from University of New Hampshire and an M.S. from Michigan State University.

James J. Murren, Appointee for Member, National Infrastructure Advisory Council

James J. Murren has been the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MGM Resorts International since 2008.  He has been a member of the Board of Directors since joining MGM Resorts International in 1998 and President since 1999.  Mr. Murren has held various positions at MGM, including Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer.  Mr. Murren worked in the financial industry for 14 years in a number of positions, including Managing Director and Co-Director of Equity Research of Deutsche Morgan Grenfell, formerly C.J. Lawrence.  He is currently the Vice Chair of the American Gaming Association and  a member of the Board of Trustees of Brookings Institution.  Mr. Murren received a B.A. from Trinity College.

Hill Harper, Appointee for Member, President's Cancer Panel

Hill Harper is a film, television, and stage actor and currently a cast member on the USA television drama Covert Affairs, where he plays the role of Calder Michaels.  He is a Member of the President’s Cancer Panel, a position he has held since his appointment in 2012.  During his career, Mr. Harper has appeared in numerous films, television shows, and plays and has received seven NAACP Image Awards for his writing and acting.  Mr. Harper is a survivor of thyroid cancer.  In 2011, he authored The Wealth Cure: Putting Money in Its Place, a New York Times bestseller which chronicles his diagnosis with thyroid cancer and his journey to health.  He received a B.A. from Brown University, an M.P.A. from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
December 19, 2013

Message to the Congress -- Report Consistent with War Powers Resolution

Dear Mr. Speaker: (Mr. President:)

On December 18, 2013, approximately 45 U.S. Armed Forces personnel deployed to South Sudan to support the security of U.S. personnel and our Embassy. Although equipped for combat, this force was deployed for the purpose of protecting U.S. citizens and property. This force will remain in South Sudan until the security situation becomes such that it is no longer needed.

This action has been directed consistent with my responsibility to protect U.S. citizens both at home and abroad, and in furtherance of U.S. national security and foreign policy interests, pursuant to my constitutional authority to conduct U.S. foreign relations and as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive.

I am providing this report as part of my efforts to keep the Congress fully informed, consistent with the War Powers Resolution (Public Law 93-148). I appreciate the support of the Congress in these actions.

Sincerely,

BARACK OBAMA

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
December 19, 2013

President Obama Nominates Two to Serve on the United States Courts of Appeals

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, President Obama nominated Judge Julie E. Carnes and Judge Gregg Jeffrey Costa to serve on the United States Courts of Appeals. 

“Judges Carnes and Costa have displayed exceptional dedication to public service throughout their careers," President Obama said. "I am honored to nominate them today to serve the American people on the United States Courts of Appeals. I am confident that they will be judicious and esteemed additions to the Eleventh and the Fifth Circuits."

Judge Julie E. Carnes:  Nominee for the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

Judge Julie E. Carnes has served as a United States District Judge in the Northern District of Georgia since 1992 and has served as Chief Judge of the court since 2009.  Judge Carnes was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia and received her J.D. magna cum laude in 1975 from the University of Georgia School of Law, where she served on the editorial board of the Georgia Law Review, and her B.A. summa cum laude in 1972 from the University of Georgia.  She began her legal career as a law clerk for Judge Lewis R. Morgan of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit from 1975 to 1977.  From 1978 to 1990, she was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Northern District of Georgia, serving as the Appellate Chief of the Criminal Division during most of her tenure.  From 1990 to 1996, Judge Carnes served as a Commissioner on the United States Sentencing Commission.  In addition to serving as Chief Judge of the Northern District of Georgia, Judge Carnes served on, and then chaired, the Criminal Law Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States from 2005 to 2010.  A present member of the Eleventh Circuit Judicial Council, she also has served on the Eleventh Circuit Pattern Jury Instruction Committee and chaired the 2007 Planning Committee for the Eleventh Circuit Judicial Conference.

Judge Gregg Jeffrey Costa:  Nominee for the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

Judge Gregg Jeffrey Costa is a United States District Judge in the Southern District of Texas.  Judge Costa was raised in Richardson, Texas and received his B.A. in 1994 from Dartmouth College.  After graduating from college, Judge Costa taught elementary school from 1994 to 1996 in Sunflower, Mississippi through the Teach for America program.  He received his J.D. with highest honors in 1999 from the University of Texas School of Law, where he served as Editor in Chief of the Texas Law Review.  From 1999 to 2000, Judge Costa served as a law clerk for Judge A. Raymond Randolph of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.  The following year, he was a Bristow Fellow at the Office of the Solicitor General in the United States Department of Justice.  From 2001 to 2002, he served as a law clerk for Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist of the United States Supreme Court.  After his clerkships, Judge Costa returned to Texas and worked as an associate at the law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP from 2002 to 2005.  He then joined the United States Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Texas, where he focused on investigating and prosecuting fraud cases.  Judge Costa was one of the lead prosecutors of R. Allen Stanford, who was convicted of committing the second-largest Ponzi scheme in United States history.  Judge Costa remained at the United States Attorney’s Office until he was appointed to the United States Court for the Southern District of Texas in April 2012.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
December 19, 2013

President Obama Nominates Eight to Serve on the United States District Courts

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, President Obama nominated Judge Michael P. Boggs, Tanya S. Chutkan, Mark Howard Cohen, Judge M. Hannah Lauck, Leigh Martin May, Judge Eleanor Ross, Judge Leo T. Sorokin, and Judge James Alan Soto to serve on the United States District Courts.

“I am honored to put forward these highly qualified candidates for the federal bench,” President Obama said.  “They will be distinguished public servants and valuable additions to the United States District Courts.”

Judge Michael P. Boggs:  Nominee for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

Judge Michael P. Boggs has been a judge on the Court of Appeals of Georgia since January 2012.  Previously, Judge Boggs served as a Superior Court Judge in the Waycross Judicial Circuit of the First Judicial Administrative District of Georgia from 2004 to 2012.  While serving as a Superior Court Judge, he established and presided over the court’s felony drug court program.  Prior to joining the bench, Judge Boggs was a sole practitioner from 1998 to 2005 and worked in private practice in various law firms from 1990 to 1998.  In 2000, he was elected to serve as a Democratic State Representative to Georgia’s General Assembly, a position he held until 2004.  Judge Boggs received his J.D. in 1990 from Mercer University’s Walter F. George School of Law and his B.A. in 1985 from Georgia Southern College.

Tanya S. Chutkan:  Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia

Tanya S. Chutkan is currently a partner at Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP, where her practice focuses on complex civil litigation and specifically antitrust class action cases.  Prior to joining the firm in 2002, Chutkan was a trial attorney and supervisor at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 2002.  From 1990 to 1991, she worked at the law firm of Donovan, Leisure, Rogovin, Huge & Schiller, and from 1987 to 1990, she worked at Hogan & Hartson LLP (now Hogan Lovells).  Chutkan received her J.D. in 1987 from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and her B.A. in 1983 from George Washington University.

Mark Howard Cohen:  Nominee for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

Mark Howard Cohen is a litigation partner at the Atlanta law firm of Troutman Sanders LLP, where he has worked since 1999 and has been a partner since 2001.  Cohen previously worked for Governor Zell Miller, serving as Executive Secretary from 1998 to 1999 and as Executive Counsel from 1995 to 1998.  In 1995, he was appointed Chief State Administrative Law Judge and managed the newly-created Office of State Administrative Hearings in Georgia.  From 1981 to 1994, Cohen worked in the Georgia Attorney General’s Office, where he represented state agencies in federal and state litigation.  He began his legal career as a law clerk to Magistrate Judge Joel M. Feldman of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.  Cohen received his J.D. in 1979 from Emory University School of Law and his B.A. magna cum laude in 1976 from Emory University.

Judge M. Hannah Lauck:  Nominee for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia

Judge M. Hannah Lauck has been a United States Magistrate Judge in the Eastern District of Virginia since 2005.  Previously, she worked as a Supervising Attorney at Genworth Financial, Inc. from 2004 to 2005.  From 1994 to 2004, she was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia.  Judge Lauck worked in private practice at Anderson Kill Olick & Oshinsky from 1992 to 1994 and began her legal career as a law clerk for Judge James R. Spencer of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia from 1991 to 1992.  She received her J.D. in 1991 from Yale Law School and her B.A. magna cum laude in 1986 from Wellesley College.    

Leigh Martin May:  Nominee for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

Leigh Martin May is a partner at the Atlanta office of Butler, Wooten & Fryhofer LLP, where she has worked since joining the firm in 2000.  Her legal practice focuses on complex civil litigation in both state and federal courts.  From 1998 to 2000, May served as a law clerk to Judge Dudley H. Bowen, Jr. of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia.  She received her J.D. magna cum laude in 1998 from the University of Georgia School of Law and her B.S. with honors in 1993 from the Georgia Institute of Technology.  May is currently the Vice Chair of the Litigation Section of the Atlanta Bar Association. 

Judge Eleanor Louise Ross:  Nominee for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

Judge Eleanor Louise Ross has served on the DeKalb County State Court in Georgia since 2011.  Previously, she spent fifteen years as a prosecutor at both the federal and state levels.  From 2007 to 2011, she was Executive Assistant District Attorney in the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office; from 2002 to 2005, she was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Northern District of Georgia; and from 1998 to 2002, she was Senior Assistant District Attorney in the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office.  Judge Ross served as an Assistant Solicitor General in the Office of the DeKalb County Solicitor-General from 1997 to 1998 and began her legal career as an Assistant District Attorney in Tarrant County from 1995 to 1996.  She received her J.D. in 1994 from the University of Houston Law Center and her B.A. in 1989 from American University.

Judge Leo T. Sorokin:  Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts

Judge Leo T. Sorokin currently serves as the Chief United States Magistrate Judge in the District of Massachusetts, a position he assumed in 2012 after serving for seven years as a United States Magistrate Judge in the same District.  Previously, Judge Sorokin worked as an Assistant Federal Public Defender in Boston from 1997 to 2005.  From 1994 to 1997, he served in the Office of the Attorney General of Massachusetts as an Assistant Attorney General and, from 1996 to 1997, as Opinions Coordinator.  He worked in private practice at the law firm of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky, and Popeo P.C. from 1992 to 1994, and he served as a law clerk for Judge Rya W. Zobel of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts from 1991 to 1992.  Judge Sorokin received his J.D. in 1991 from Columbia Law School and his B.A. cum laude in 1983 from Yale College.

Judge James Alan Soto:  Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of Arizona

Judge James Alan Soto currently serves as the Presiding Superior Court Judge in Santa Cruz County, Arizona—a court on which he has served since 2001.  From 1992 to 2001, Judge Soto was president and a shareholder of Soto, Martin and Coogan, P.C.; from 1979 to 1992, he was in private practice in various law partnerships; from 1976 to 1979, he was a sole practitioner; and from 1975 to 1976, he worked in the Law Offices of Nasib Karam.  Additionally, Judge Soto worked as a part-time Town Attorney in Patagonia, Arizona from 1975 until approximately 1992; as a part-time Deputy City Attorney in the Office of the Nogales City Attorney from 1975 until approximately 1983; and as a part-time Deputy County Attorney for the Santa Cruz County Attorney’s Office in 1979.  He received his J.D. in 1975 from Arizona State University College of Law and his B.S. in 1971 from Arizona State University.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
December 19, 2013

Statement by the President on Clemency

Three years ago, I signed the bipartisan Fair Sentencing Act, which dramatically narrowed the disparity between penalties for crack and powder cocaine offenses.  This law began to right a decades-old injustice, but for thousands of inmates, it came too late.  If they had been sentenced under the current law, many of them would have already served their time and paid their debt to society.  Instead, because of a disparity in the law that is now recognized as unjust, they remain in prison, separated from their families and their communities, at a cost of millions of taxpayer dollars each year. 

Today, I am commuting the prison terms of eight men and women who were sentenced under an unfair system.  Each of them has served more than 15 years in prison.  In several cases, the sentencing judges expressed frustration that the law at the time did not allow them to issue punishments that more appropriately fit the crime. 

Commuting the sentences of these eight Americans is an important step toward restoring fundamental ideals of justice and fairness.  But it must not be the last.  In the new year, lawmakers should act on the kinds of bipartisan sentencing reform measures already working their way through Congress.  Together, we must ensure that our taxpayer dollars are spent wisely, and that our justice system keeps its basic promise of equal treatment for all. 

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
December 19, 2013

President Obama Grants Pardons and Commutation

WASHINGTON, DC - Today President Barack Obama granted clemency to twenty-one individuals, consisting of eight commutations and thirteen pardons.

The President granted commutations to the following eight individuals:

  • Clarence Aaron - Mobile, Ala.
    Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute cocaine; attempt to possess cocaine with intent to distribute (Southern District of Alabama)
    Sentence:  Life imprisonment, five years' supervised release (Dec. 10, 1993)
    Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on April 17, 2014 

  • Stephanie Yvette George - Pensacola, Fla.
    Offense: Conspiracy to possess cocaine base with intent to distribute (Northern District of Florida)
    Sentence:  Life imprisonment, ten years' supervised release (May 5, 1997)
    Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on April 17, 2014 

  • Ezell Gilbert - Tampa, Fla.
    Offense: Possession with intent to deliver cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute marijuana (Middle District of Florida)
    Sentence:  292 months' imprisonment, five years' supervised release (Mar. 25, 1997)
    Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to time already served 

  • Helen R. Alexander Gray - Ty Ty, Ga.
    Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon (Middle District of Georgia)
    Sentence:  240 months' imprisonment (Oct. 8, 1996)
    Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on April 17, 2014 

  • Jason Hernandez - McKinney, Tex.
    Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute controlled substances; possession with intent to distribute and distribute crack cocaine and methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute a mixture of methamphetamine and cocaine hydrochloride; distribution of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a protected property; establishing a place for manufacture and distribution of controlled substances (Eastern District of Texas)
    Sentence:  Life imprisonment; eight years' supervised release; $5,000 fine (Oct. 2, 1998)
    Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to 240 months (20 years) 

  • Ricky Eugene Patterson - Fort Pierce, Fla.
    Offense: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (Southern District of Florida)
    Sentence: Life imprisonment, 10 years' supervised release (Aug. 3, 1995)
    Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on April 17, 2014 

  • Billy Ray Wheelock - Belton, Tex.
    Offense: Conspiracy to distribute more than 50 grams of crack cocaine; possession with intent to distribute more than 5 grams of crack cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school; possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine (Western District of Texas)
    Sentence: Life imprisonment, 10 years' supervised release, $3,000 fine (Jun. 9, 1993)
    Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on April 17, 2014 

  • Reynolds Allen Wintersmith, Jr. - Rockford, Ill.
    Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute cocaine and cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute crack (Northern District of Illinois)
    Sentence: Life imprisonment, five years' supervised release, $1,000 fine (Nov. 23, 1994)
    Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on April 17, 2014 

The President granted pardons to the following thirteen individuals:

  • William Ricardo Alvarez - Marietta, Ga.
    Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin ; conspiracy to import heroin (District of Puerto Rico)
    Sentence:  Time served after nine months' imprisonment, four years' supervised release (Apr. 30, 1997; amended Jul. 31, 1997) 

  • Charlie Lee Davis, Jr. - Wetumpka, Ala.
    Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; use of a minor to distribute cocaine base (Middle District of Alabama)
    Sentence: 87 months' imprisonment, five years' supervised release (Mar. 21, 1995) 

  • Ronald Eugene Greenwood - Crane, Mo.
    Offense: Conspiracy to violate the Clean Water Act  (District of South Dakota)
    Sentence: Three years' probation, conditioned on six months' home confinement, 100 hours community service, $5,000 restitution, $1,000 fine (Nov. 18, 1996) 

  • Little Joe Hatch, aka Joe Hatch Sr. - Lake Placid, Fla.
    Offense: Possession with intent to distribute marijuana  (Southern District of Florida)
    Sentence: 60 months' imprisonment, four years' supervised release (May 15, 1990) 

  • Martin Alan Hatcher. - Foley, Ala.
    Offense: Distribution and possession with intent to distribute marijuana (Southern District of Alabama)
    Sentence: Five years' probation (Nov. 9, 1992) 

  • Derek James Laliberte - Auburn, Me.
    Offense: Money laundering (District of Maine)
    Sentence: 18 months' imprisonment, 2 years' supervised release (Oct. 2, 1992; amended May 21, 1993) 

  • Alfred J. Mack - Manassas, Va.
    Offense: Unlawful distribution of heroin  (District of Columbia Superior Court)
    Sentence: 18 to 54 months' imprisonment (Apr. 5, 1982) 

  • Robert Andrew Schindler - Goshen, Va.
    Offense: Conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud (District of Utah)
    Sentence: Three years' probation, four months' home confinement, $10,000 restitution (May 14, 1996) 

  • Willie Shaw, Jr. - Myrtle Beach, S.C.
    Offense: Armed bank robbery (District of South Carolina)
    Sentence: Fifteen years' imprisonment (Aug. 7, 1974) 

  • Kimberly Lynn Stout, formerly known as Kimberly Lynn Cooley - Bassett, Va.
    Offense: Bank embezzlement; false entries in the books of a lending institution (Western District of Virginia)
    Sentence: One day imprisonment, three years' supervised release (including five months home confinement) (Nov. 9, 1993) 

  • Bernard Anthony Sutton, Jr. - Norfolk, Va.
    Offense: Theft of personal property (Eastern District of Virginia)
    Sentence: Three years' probation, $825 restitution, $500 fine (Apr. 4, 1989) 

  • Chris Deann Switzer - Omaha, Neb.
    Offense: Conspiracy to violate narcotics laws (methamphetamine) (District of Nebraska)
    Sentence: Four years' probation, conditioned on six months home confinement, 200 hours' community service (Jun. 25, 1996) 

  • Miles Thomas Wilson - Williamsburg, Ohio.
    Offense: Mail fraud (Southern District of Ohio)
    Sentence: Three years' probation (Jul. 15, 1981)

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
December 19, 2013

Statement by the Press Secretary on the National Defense Authorization Act

The Administration appreciates the bipartisan work of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees on the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014, and their continued support of our service members and national defense.  The bill will, among other things, assist the Armed Forces in operating in unconventional and irregular warfare and countering unconventional threats, support capacity building efforts with foreign military forces, and support contingency or stability operations.  While the bill does not address all of the Administration’s concerns, its provisions regarding foreign transfers of detainees held at the U.S. Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba will provide the Administration additional flexibility to transfer detainees abroad consistent with our national security interests.  The Administration commends the Congress for its work to expand efforts to prevent sexual assault and significantly strengthen protections for victims as well as extending important compensation and benefits for our service members, which are important for recruitment, retention and morale of our Armed Forces. 
 
Although the bill includes a number of provisions that restrict or limit the Defense Department’s ability to align military capabilities and force structure with the President's strategy and implement certain efficiencies, overall the Administration is pleased with the modifications and improvements contained in the bill that address most of the Administration’s significant objections with earlier versions regarding these issues.   The Administration supports passage of the legislation.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
December 19, 2013

White House Releases New National and State Reports Showing the Costs of Repealing the Health Care Law

The White House released a report today underscoring the costs of repealing the Affordable Care Act for millions of Americans. The benefits of the health care law – lower costs, new protections, and expanded access to quality, affordable care – are real, and the repeal plan pushed by some Republicans in Congress would undermine or eliminate the benefits that millions of middle-class Americans now rely on. The President and supporters of reform are committed to helping ordinary Americans and businesses take advantage of the benefits of the health care law.

Below is the national report, which can also be viewed HERE. To view the state-by-state reports, click HERE.

THIS IS THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

Repeal Would Raise Costs, Strip Protections from Families Across America

Helping ordinary Americans and businesses take advantage of the benefits of the health care law is a top priority for the President and Democrats in Congress. The Affordable Care Act does more than just give millions of uninsured Americans access to health insurance. It helps Americans who already have insurance feel more secure in their coverage, ensuring it'll be there when they need it.  This is a pocketbook issue for many middle class families.

The benefits of the health care law are real, and the repeal plan pushed by Republicans in Congress would undermine or eliminate them across the board, reversing critical consumer protections and driving up costs for millions of Americans. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, across the country:

  • 71 million Americans on private insurance have gained coverage for at least one free preventive health care service such as a mammogram, birth control, or an immunization in 2011 and 2012. In the first eleven months of 2013 alone, an additional 25 million people with traditional Medicare have received at least one preventive service at no out of pocket cost. 

  • Up to 129 million Americans with pre-existing conditions – including up to 17 million children –will no longer have to worry about being denied health coverage or charged higher premiums because of their health status. 

  • Approximately 60 million Americans have gained expanded mental health and substance use disorder benefits and/or federal parity protections. 

  • 41 million uninsured Americans will have new health insurance options through Medicaid or private health plans in the Marketplace. Nearly 6 in 10 of these individuals could pay less than $100 per month for coverage. 

  • Consumers have saved $5 billion over the past two years due to a new requirement that insurance companies have to spend at least 80% of premium dollars on care for patients (at least 85% for large group insurers). If they don’t, they must send consumers a rebate. In 2013, 8.5 million enrollees will receive rebates averaging $100 per family. 

  • Insurance companies must submit premium increases of 10% or more for review by experts. In 2012, 6.8 million Americans saved an estimated $1.2 billion on health insurance premiums after their insurers cut back on planned increases as a result of this process. 

  • Since the health care law was enacted, more than 7 million seniors and people with disabilities have saved an average of $1,200 per person on prescription drugs as the health care law closes Medicare’s “donut hole.” 

  • Over three million young adults have gained health insurance because they can now stay on their parents’ health plans until age 26. 

  • Individuals no longer have to worry about having their health benefits cut off after they reach a lifetime limit on benefits. Starting in January, 105 million Americans will no longer have to worry about annual limits, either. 

  • Using funds available through the Affordable Care Act, health centers are expanding access to care by building new sites and renovating existing sites. Health centers served approximately 21 million patients in 2012. 

Moving forward, the President and Democrats in Congress are committed to improving the health care law and fixing it when the need arises. Every day more uninsured Americans are signing up for plans as the website gets faster and more people with insurance are benefiting from the law. 

Yet instead of working to fix the law, Republicans in Congress have tried and failed to repeal it more than 40 times. Repealing the law completely would raise premiums, allow discrimination based on pre-existing conditions, force women to pay for preventive services like mammograms, and eliminate discounts seniors get on prescription drugs. 

It’s time for Republicans in Congress to stop refighting old political battles over health care, because the real cost of repeal will hit home for many hardworking American families.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
December 19, 2013

FACT SHEET: U.S. Assistance to the Central African Republic

In recent weeks, government affiliated armed groups and independent militias have committed shocking and horrific atrocities against innocent civilians in the Central African Republic (CAR).  The CAR faces extraordinary challenges to restore security and to ensure protection of the civilian population.  We are grateful for the important contributions made by the African Union, regional states, and France in support of the international community’s response.  And as President Obama said, as forces from other African countries and France work to restore security, the United States will support their efforts to protect civilians.  We are actively working to help end the violence, protect civilians, prevent atrocities, provide humanitarian assistance, and help create an environment that allows constitutional and democratic governance to be restored.

Security Assistance

The United States is providing up to $101 million in support for restoring security in CAR.  This includes:

  • Airlift for Burundi provided by the Department of Defense. 

  • Up to $60 million in defense services for French forces and defense articles and services for the African-led International Support Mission to the Central African Republic (MISCA) troop contributors under the drawdown authority. 

    • $40 million in Peacekeeping Operations funding to support MISCA, which will include: 

    • Provision of non-lethal equipment, to include armored personnel carriers, 4x4s, troop carriers, logistics trucks, fuel tankers, recovery vehicles, ambulances, personal protective equipment, communications,  headquarters assistance, and materials for construction of defensive fortifications. 

  • Provision of pre-deployment training for rotating units, both through the Africa Contingency Operations Training and Assistance program and U.S. Africa Command. 

  • At the invitation of the African Union, a team of U.S. liaison officers will assist in coordinating U.S. support to MISCA.  

  • We will seek to support additional airlift requests from African partners who are committed to deploying forces to MISCA. 

Humanitarian Assistance

In FY 2013, the United States provided more than $24 million in humanitarian assistance to CAR.  Of the tens of millions of dollars in support to refugees throughout the region, more than $6 million went specifically for new CAR refugees.

Today we announced an additional $15 million in humanitarian assistance.  This new assistance includes:

  • $10 million for the World Food Program to support general food distributions and supplementary feeding for internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees and conflict affected populations throughout CAR. 

  • $5 million to the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Committee of the Red Cross to conduct protection activities and provide multi-sectoral assistance to refugees, IDPs, and conflict affected populations throughout CAR. 

Conflict Mitigation, Reconciliation and Peacebuilding

President Obama spoke directly to the people of CAR in an audio message to underscore the importance of reconciliation between its people.  We support efforts to help prevent further violence and improve understanding and tolerance between the CAR’s varied communities, ethnic groups, and religions.  The United States will provide the following assistance:

  • Subject to Congressional notification, nearly $7.5 million in funding to support conflict mitigation, reconciliation and peacebuilding, including interreligious peacebuilding efforts and using community radio to amplify peace messages and dispel rumors, through the Complex Crises Fund and the Human Rights Grants Fund. 

  • $125,000 in funding from the State Department to create a network of local community and interfaith religious leaders to promote peace, conflict mitigation, and reconciliation efforts.  

  • Ongoing community protection and conflict mitigation work in areas in CAR affected by the Lord’s Resistance Army. 

Justice and Accountability

Accountability for perpetrators who have committed atrocities is critical to ensuring justice for victims and to breaking the cycle of violence.  The United States welcomes the U.N. Secretary General’s creation of the Commission of Inquiry as called for in UN Security Council Resolution 2127.  The United States will support accountability in the CAR by:

  • Supporting the work of the Commission of Inquiry by sharing information, as appropriate, and providing technical assistance and advice to the United Nations on the establishment of the COI. 

  • Advising CAR leaders to assist them holding perpetrators of atrocities to account. 

  • Ensuring access to justice for women survivors of sexual and gender based violence.  For the past two years, the State Department has provided nearly $300,000 to fund partner organizations to support access to justice for survivors of gender-based violence, including through providing legal and psychosocial support, and community outreach.  These programs have served over 6,000 survivors of gender based violence thus far and the State Department will continue that support.  The State Department will provide an additional $200,000 to extend this program by a year.  

Enhanced U.S. Presence

The United States recognizes the importance of a sustained presence in the CAR to help support humanitarian assistance, MISCA and French efforts to restore security, the political process leading to free and fair elections, conflict prevention, reconciliation, and accountability.

We will increase our presence through regular visits, including an interagency assessment trip led by USAID Assistant Administrator for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Affairs, Nancy Lindborg, in January.  Our increased rotational presence will include humanitarian assistance, reconciliation, peacebuilding and political transition experts, who will support our efforts to help the people of CAR.  And we will move to reopen our Embassy in Bangui as security conditions allow.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
December 19, 2013

Statement by NSC Spokesperson Caitlin Hayden on the U.S. – Mexico Transboundary Hydrocarbons Agreement

We commend the House and Senate for passing the U.S.-Mexico Transboundary Hydrocarbons Agreement as a part of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013.  This agreement will establish an environmentally safe and responsible framework to explore, develop, and share revenue from hydrocarbon resources that lie in waters beyond each country’s exclusive, economic zones.  The Administration appreciated the opportunity to work with key bipartisan congressional leaders to move this important priority forward.