Pub.1 2019-2020 Issue 3

and Defense departments. The Assistant Attorney General is Jeff Clark. Also, there are: • Five deputy assistant attorneys general • Nine career section chiefs • Ninety-Four U.S. attorneys (AUSAs) The DOJ has the final say on settlements and controls the judgment fund. The Solicitor General has the final say on all Circuit Court appeals and all appearances before the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS). President Trump has had an impact on judicial nominees at the SCOTUS, circuit and district courts; 187 of his nominees have been confirmed. • Circuit courts hear more than 10,000 appeals each year. • The SCOTUS usually hears less than 100 cases each year. Who Will Make the Decisions From 2021-2025? If President Trump wins a second term, he will keep most of the current office holders since many of them just took office in the past 18 months. The team is likely to continue to include Kate MacGregor, Daniel Jorjani, Jeff Clark and Robert Wallace. Despite mistakes and early turnover that took place during the beginning of President Trump’s first term, most of these personnel errors have been corrected. The latest nominees have had more experience in government than the initial nominees. More deregulation and industry-friendly policies have characterized President Trump’s term. These policies include the continued leasing of public lands and wind farms in the Atlantic Ocean. The remainder of President Trump’s term will provide valuable opportunities to gain experi- ence and to prepare for future leadership. UPA members should identify talented employees in their late twenties and thirties, contact senators continued from page 17 and members of Congress, and do their best to have these young people placed in government staff positions. Joe Biden appears to be the likely Democratic nominee. But who would he turn to if he had the opportunity to form an administration? • Many former President Obama supporters are now in their 30s and 40s. They have already served as assistant and deputy assistant secretaries. • Campaign staffers are likely to be asked to join the White House team and will be given commissions and positions to staff cabinet officers. • Biden would certainly call on previous mem- bers of his staff during the time he served as Vice President and in the Senate. They would receive key spots at State, Treasury and Defense. • There are 400 presidential appointments and 1,600 Schedule C appointments made by the 16 Cabinet Secretaries. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) would want many of its employees to be chosen for these positions. What would a Biden presidency look like? Expect him to reinstitute Obama-era policies and reinvig- orate the environmental movement nationally and internationally. Expect a concentration of effort on climate change, including renewed involvement in the Paris Treaty Accords that Trump rejected. At this point, it seems increasingly unlikely that Bernie Sanders will win the Democratic party’s nomination, and the remainder of the field has dropped away rapidly. The only real question right now is the selection of a Democratic running mate. According to some of President Trump’s strategists, the most formidable ticket today would be Biden-Klobuchar. That ticket would solidify the African American community, bring strength to the ticket from the upper Midwest, attract those who will vote for anybody but Trump, and would also be attractive to the suburban women’s vote. Which states should you watch during the general election? • The important states for Republicans are Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida. Republicans need to win five of these six states. • The important states for Democrats are Colorado, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Virginia and New Mexico. Demo- crats need to win five of these states, plus two from the Republican list. Democrat control of the Senate (currently 53R-47D) requires that they pick up four additional seats. For Republicans, their best shot to pick up seats are as follows: • In Alabama, Doug Jones (D) could potentially be defeated by former Attorney General Jeff Sessions or former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville (endorsed by Presi- dent Trump), the two Republican survivors of the primary race. • In Michigan, the incumbent, Gary Peters (D) faces John James (R). For Democrats, their best shots are as follows: • In Colorado, Cory Gardner (R) is in a contest against the former governor of Colorado, John Hickenlooper (D). • In Maine, Susan Collins (R) is facing a challenge from Sara Gideon (D), who currently serves as the speaker of the Maine House of Representatives. • In Arizona, Martha McSally (R) is being challenged by Mark Kelly (D), the husband of former U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords, and an engineer who has served in the Navy and as an astronaut. • In North Carolina, Thom Tillis (R) is running against ex-State Senator Cal Cunningham (D). • In Montana, Steve Daines (R) is running against the current governor, Steve Bullock (D). The politics of 2020 will undoubtedly impact many things, but the oil and gas industry, in particular, could see significant changes. Tom Sansonetti joined Holland & Hart in 1993 and built a nationally recognized practice in natural resources and environmental law. Consid- ered an expert in natural resources and environmental matters, Tom served as an Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division in the Department of Justice and also as the Solicitor at the Department of the Interior. He has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court and in six Federal Circuit Courts of Appeal, and served as a federal prosecutor in envi- ronmental crimes cases. Tom practices law in the firm's Cheyenne, Denver and Washington D.C. offices. 18 UP DATE