Christopher H. Schroeder

Christopher Henry Schroeder (born 1948) is an American lawyer who served as Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel in the Biden Administration from 2021 to 2023. He served as the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy in the United States Department of Justice during the presidency of Barack Obama, serving from April 2010 until December 2012. Before and after his time as Assistant Attorney General, he was the Charles S. Murphy Professor of Law and Professor of Public Policy Studies at Duke University School of Law. He is now Professor Emeritus of the same institution.

Early life and education

Born in Springfield, Ohio, Schroeder earned a bachelor's degree from Princeton University in June 1968, a master of divinity degree from Yale Divinity School in 1971 and a J.D. degree from University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, in 1974. In June 1976, Schroeder left McCutchen to take a job for one year as a research associate at the Earl Warren Legal Institute (now the Institute for Legal Research) at the University of California Berkeley. to be the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy in the Department of Justice. The White House originally had planned to tap Mark Gitenstein for the post but reportedly reconsidered after opposition to his potential nomination because of his lobbying background.

On July 28, 2009, Schroeder was reported out of the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary in a voice vote.

Despite a false report that he was confirmed by the United States Senate on August 7, 2009, Schroeder was not confirmed with a large number of nominees who were confirmed that day.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid filed for cloture on Schroeder's nomination on April 15, 2010. The Senate confirmed Schroeder on April 21, 2010, in a 72–24 vote.

As assistant attorney general, Schroeder served as chief policy adviser to Attorney General Eric Holder and Deputy Attorney General David W. Ogden.

Writings In 2009, Schroeder co-authored the book Keeping Faith with the Constitution, along with Pamela S. Karlan and Goodwin Liu. He also has authored a leading environmental law casebook, Environmental Regulation: Law, Science and Policy.

Personal life and family Schroeder is married to Katharine T. Bartlett, also a professor of law. They have three adult children: Emily, Theodore, and Elizabeth.