Reading Room Document
Whether Conflict of Interest Laws Apply to a Person Assisting a Supreme Court Nominee
On the facts described, former Senator Fred Thompson would not be an "officer" or "employee" of the federal government if he assisted a Supreme Court nominee during the process of confirmation by the Senate, and as a consequence the federal conflict of interest laws would not apply to him. The OLC does not provide release dates for its opinions, so the release date listed is the date on which the opinion was authored. The original opinion is available at www.justice.gov/file/450886/download.
The OLC's Opinions
Opinions published by the OLC, including those released in response to our FOIA lawsuit