Within 60 seconds of opening its doors, Room 170 was packed for the lecture by Larry Thompson, Deputy Attorney General of the United States. The room was crowded with lawyers from the US Attorney General’s office in Atlanta, members of the press, as well as numerous Georgia State Law students and faculty.

     “Wow,” Mr. Thompson reacted upon observing the attendance, “I have spoken with several law schools around the nation, including Harvard and Columbia, and this by far is the largest turnout to date.” Mr. Thompson was on a nationwide tour of select law schools to encourage students to join the Department of Justice, explain the DOJ’s agendas, and answer questions.

     Mr. Thompson’s long and illustrious career includes working with King & Spalding and serving as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. It was his experience as United States District Attorney that Thompson states was “the defining job in my career. I had a wonderful time… there wasn’t a day I was not happy to come to work. I made lifetime friends, learned a lot, and became the kind of lawyer I would be the rest of my career.” Mr. Thompson chose to join the District Attorney’s office instead of becoming a partner at King & Spalding, taking the second of four pay-cuts he outlined in his career.

     Reflecting on his career, Mr. Thompson had this piece of advice for students, “Never take a position just for the sake of money. The times I have been most satisfied, I took the job because it was the right thing for me to do in my professional development.”

     Since 9/11 there have been numerous new challenges within the DOJ. The Department has changed its agenda to the prevention and disruption of terrorism and counter-terrorism measures instead of the investigation and prosecution of such crimes. As Thompson relayed, “It does not do us any good to prosecute 19 dead men. Now we have to prevent and disrupt terrorist activity.” Referring to the DOJ as the “Guardians of Public Safety,” Thompson explained that the FBI, CIA, DOJ, and other entities are now investigating new techniques and revising their guidelines to work with each other to prevent further attacks.

     Thompson addressed whether these techniques affect civil liberties by stating that he is very aware of their importance as the foundation of our country; the DOJ would never do anything deliberately to infringe on these rights. Thompson submitted, “The measures we have taken are balanced and reasonable. They are in the open. We are not doing things in secret. People don’t just disappear in the middle of the night never to be seen again.” Thompson stressed that the most basic right and liberty is for U.S. Citizens to be safe and secure in their homes and workplaces. He elaborated that President Bush has the authority and the right to take measures to protect the country.

     Addressing Mr. Thompson further on this issue, 2L Kelly Fitzgerald asked Mr. Thompson to define the term “Enemy Combatant” and explain why persons with this designation do not have access to counsel. Mr. Thompson fielded this difficult question explaining that an “Enemy Combatant” is not fighting for a state nor drafted into an army like traditional prisoners of war. For example, instead of fighting army to army, Al Qaeda attacks innocent civilians. Comparatively, a POW is someone enlisted in an army fighting state against state and is therefore protected under the Geneva Convention.

     “Enemy Combatants” have not been caught on the battlefield. Further, they are not convicted in the Criminal Justice system where the “Right to an Attorney” or 6th Amendment right would normally attach. The persons with this designation are committing an “Act of War” against this country and therefore under the regulation of the Military Justice system.

     Mr. Thompson strongly advocates revamping the way the country is pursuing its War on Drugs. He pointed out that we lost approximately 3,000 people in the horrific terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Comparatively, we lose 16,000 lives each year to illegal drug use, addiction, and related activities.

     In a conversation with Mr. Thompson after the lecture, a student followed up with the “War on Drugs” philosophy. Mr. Thompson explained that 20 or 30 years ago, drunk driving was not considered as big a deal as today. The reason for the change in attitude is the awareness of the public, and the cause-effect relationship now attributed to drunk driving. One can be convicted of vehicular homicide, murder, or even be paralyzed or dead under such circumstances. The public has yet to make this connection in respect to drugs. Through education, and by driving down demand for such substances, better strides will be made against the drug trade.

     Mr. Thompson demonstrated the direct link between drugs and terrorism by quoting a convicted drug trafficker. The trafficker stated when imprisoned in 1983, “Sending drugs into the United States was one of my ways of fighting against America.” Thompson opined that to effectively combat drugs we must eliminate the demand side of the problem instead of just concentrating on the supply side.

     The Deputy Attorney General shared some of the DOJ’s agendas. At the top of the list is the promotion and preservation of U.S. Citizens. Thompson also explained the DOJ’s interest in the corporate scandals that have erupted over the past year. In the wake of Enron, WorldCom, and Arthur Andersen the President has asked the DOJ as well as the SEC, FBI, and FCC to go after the executives who caused untold damage to the economy and corporate America. It is now the DOJ’s job to capture these criminals, take away ill-gotten gains, and make sure they are punished.

     Thompson concluded with an in depth explanation of the Department’s Honors Program. 3Ls have the opportunity to get hands-on experience by rotating through different divisions within the DOJ. The DOJ encourages students to join them and represent public interest. Students who have further interest should review the website at http://www.usdoj.gov.

     When Mr. Thompson opened the floor for student questions, a brave 1L raised his hand and asked, “So how is it to work with George W. Bush and John Ashcroft?”

     “My bosses, you mean?” Mr. Thompson amiably responded, bringing to mind that he is the second in command at the Department of Justice. “President Bush is a very warm person, and he is very dedicated and has tremendous resolve. John Ashcroft is very concerned with the civil rights and liberties of the people of the United States. He would never do anything outside the Constitution.” Mr. Thompson shared an anecdote regarding Mr. Ashcroft: “There was a time when Mr. Ashcroft was asking all of us for ideas on how to deal with a specific issue. Someone raised an idea that I personally thought was very aggressive. Mr. Ashcroft’s response was, ‘I asked you to think outside of the box and think aggressively. But I never asked you to think outside of the Constitution.’”