Congressional Leaders, Experienced Attorneys, and Legal Scholars Support Thompson

Contact: Darrel Ng, 571-730-1010; www.Fred08.com

MCLEAN, Virginia, Nov. 16 /Standard Newswire/ -- The Fred Thompson campaign announced today its Lawyers for Fred Coalition.  This distinguished group of attorneys is led by a National Steering Committee, a Congressional Leadership Committee, and a Law Professors Committee.

The National Steering Committee is headed by Co-Chairs Victoria Toensing, Boris Feldman, and Charles Trost, and is composed of 18 members including a former U.S. Attorney General, former U.S. Senator, and a number of experienced litigators. 

"I am honored to have the support of so many distinguished and talented members of the legal profession," said Fred Thompson.  "I've had great personal and professional satisfaction in the field of law.  I made a decent living, served the rule of law, and I believe I did some good.  Just as I helped shepherd the nomination of Justice John Roberts to the Supreme Court, I remain committed to appointing judges who will interpret the law, not impose their views on us by legislating from the bench."

National Steering Committee Co-Chairs

Victoria Toensing will serve as Co-Chair of the National Steering Committee of Lawyers for Fred.  Toensing is an internationally recognized expert on white-collar crime, terrorism, and national security and intelligence matters, and is a founding partner of the law firm diGenova & Toensing.  Prior to entering private practice, Toensing served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Chief Counsel for Senator Barry Goldwater, Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and also as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Justice Department.  In that capacity, Toensing established the Justice Department's Terrorism Unit and managed to bring to justice the terrorists responsible for the hijacking of TWA 847, the bombing of Pan Am 830, and the takeover of the cruise ship Achille Lauro. 

"Senator Thompson is a law and order conservative who believes that our Justice Department must protect the rule of law," said Victoria Toensing.  "There should be tough enforcement and penalty for those who break the law.  At the same time, the Department of Justice must take great care to ensure that the innocent are not falsely accused.  Because Senator Thompson strongly supports this principle, I am proud to serve as his Co-Chair of Lawyers for Fred." 

Joining Toensing as a Co-Chair is Boris Feldman, a partner at Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati, is an experienced attorney who has represented companies and their officers in more than 140 shareholder class actions and derivative suits throughout the country.  He serves as chair of his firm's Policy Committee.  Feldman served previously as a special assistant to the legal advisor at the U.S. Department of State, and in 2006 he was named to the International Advisory Board of the Israel Securities Authority, the Israeli equivalent of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. 

"Senator Thompson understands exactly the limited role an independent judiciary should play in our government", said Boris Feldman. "He is committed to appointing strict constructionist judges who faithfully interpret the law, not legislate from the bench. It is a great honor to serve as his Co-Chair of Lawyers for Fred."

Charles Trost, a Co-Chair of the National Steering Committee of Lawyers for Fred,
 is a partner at Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis in Nashville, Tennessee where he specializes in state and  federal tax law and tax litigation.  Trost has served as lead counsel on many significant tax litigation cases, and he has also written extensively on tax matters.  Previously, Trost was a Professor of Law at the University of Alabama, and also clerked for the Honorable William E. Miller, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.

"Senator Thompson is a man of principle who understands the importance of appointing judges who will base their decisions on the rule of the law and not on a personal agenda," said Charles Trost. "He has a clear and united vision for this country and I am honored to serve as his Lawyers for Fred Co-Chair."

National Steering Committee

Spencer Abraham - Chairman and CEO, The Abraham Group LLC, Former United States Senator (MI)
Bill Barr - Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Verizon Communications, Former Attorney General, United States of America
Lizette D. Benedi - Associate, Bancroft Associates PLLC, Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Office of Justice Programs.
Rachel Brand - Former Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Policy
Gary M. Brown - Shareholder, Baker Donaldson, Former Special Counsel to US Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs
Reginald J. Brown - Partner Wilmer Hale, Former Special Assistant to the President and Associate White Counsel
Liz Cheney - Former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Charles J. Cooper - Chairman, Cooper & Kirk PLLC, Former Assistant Attorney General Office of Legal Counsel
Ted Cruz - Solicitor General, State of Texas
Viet D. Dinh - Principal, Bancroft Associates PLLC, Professor of Law, Georgetown University Law Center, Former Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Policy
John M. Dowd - Partner, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer Feld LLP
Noel J. Francisco - Partner, Jones Day, Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Counsel
Bob L. Livingston - Founding Partner, The Livingston Group LLC, former member of House of Representatives (LA-1)
David M. McIntosh - Partner, Mayer Brown, Former member of House of Representatives (IN-2)
Eileen O'Connor - Partner, Pillsbury Winthrop, Former Assistant Attorney General, Tax Division
Philip J. Perry - Partner Latham and Watkins, Former General Counsel Dept. of Homeland Security and OMB
Michael Toner - Partner, Bryan Cave , Former Chairman Federal Election Commission
Joseph A. Woodruff - Partner, Waller Lansden Dortch Davis LLP

Note: Affiliations are for identification purposes only.

Congressional Leadership Committee

Senator Lamar Alexander (TN)
Senator Thad Cochran (MS)
Congressman Steve Buyer (IN-4)
Congressman John "Jimmy" Duncan, Jr. (TN-2)
Congressman Louie Gohmert (TX-01)
Congressman Don Manzullo (IL-16)
Congressman Thad McCotter (MI-11)
Congressman Lee Terry (NB-2)
Congressman Roger Wicker (MS-1)

Law Professors Committee

Michael B. Abramowicz - Professor of Law, The George Washington University School of Law
Jonathan H. Adler - Director, Center for Business Law and Regulation, Case Western Reserve University School of Law
John S. Baker - Desig Professor of Law, Louisiana State University Law Center
Michael R. Dimino, Sr.- Assistant Professor of Law, Widener University School of Law
Viet D. Dinh - Professor of Law, Georgetown University Law Center, Former Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Policy
John Fitzgerald Duffy - Oswald Symister Colclough Research Professor of Law, The George Washington University School of Law
Brian T. Fitzpatrick - Assistant Professor of Law, Vanderbilt University Law School
Richard W. Garnett - John Cardinal O'Hara C.S.C. Associat e Professor of Law, Notre Dame Law School
Orin S. Kerr - Professor of Law, The George Washington University School of Law
Caleb E. Nelson - Professor of Law, University of Virginia School of Law
Eugene Volokh - Gary T. Schwartz Professor of Law, UCLA School of Law
Todd J. Zywicki - Professor of Law, George Mason University School of Law

Note: Legal Professors Committee List is still in formation.

Note: Please visit www.fred08.com/lawyers for more information on Lawyers for Fred.