WASHINGTON – Rachel Brand, Assistant Attorney General for Legal Policy, has announced her resignation from the Department of Justice, effective July 9, 2007. President Bush nominated Ms. Brand to the position on March 29, 2005, and the Senate confirmed her appointment in July 2005.
“Rachel Brand has served the Department of Justice and the American people with distinction and honor,” said Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales. “Her considerable knowledge of legal policy is rivaled only by her passion for the issues and projects on which she worked during her tenure here at the Department. I will miss her significant contributions as an advisor to me.”
As Assistant Attorney General for Legal Policy, Brand managed the development of a variety of civil and criminal policy initiatives, the creation of departmental regulations, and the Department’s role in the confirmation of the President’s judicial nominees. She played an integral role in securing reauthorization of the USA PATRIOT Act in 2006, and was responsible for preparing Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito for their confirmation hearings.
Most recently, Brand led the development of the Department’s 2007 crime bill and spearheaded the Attorney General's Initiative for Safer Communities.
Brand also demonstrated significant leadership through her service on the Attorney General’s Intellectual Property Task Force, her chairmanship of the policy committee of the President's Identity Theft Task Force, and her organization of the first National Methamphetamine Awareness Day. She has led a range of major Departmental initiatives involving the protection of children, the rights of crime victims, and efforts to combat trafficking in persons.
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