Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum said he is taking up "the cudgel ... for the people of Florida." It would appear his big stick, however, is David B. Rivkin, Jr. Esq., a constitutional law expert with whom he has worked in the past. Rivkin is working at a reduced fee to be shared by all 13 states in the federal lawsuit, McCollum said. Naturally, he predicted the 13 states will prevail in challenging the constitutionality of the health-care reform bill signed into law by President Barack Obama on Tuesday.
David B. Rivkin, Jr. is a partner in the law firm of Baker & Hostetler, LLP, where he worked with Florida's attorney general from 2001 to 2006. He has extensive experience in constitutional administrative and international litigation. From 2004 to 2007, he was a member of the United Nations Subcommission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights.
Prior to joining Baker & Hostetler, he was a partner in Hunton & Williams, LLP, which maintains an office in Miami.
From 1987 to 1993, he worked in a number of federal government capacities. He was associate executive director and general counsel of the President's Council on Competitiveness at the White House during 1992 and 1993.
He worked on the development and implementation of President George H.W. Bush's deregulatory initiatives, while simultaneously serving as the Special Assistant for Domestic Policy to Vice President Dan Quayle.
From 1990 to 1991, he was associate general counsel at the U.S. Department of Energy. In that role, he was responsible for international, constitutional, environmental and energy matters.
He served in the office of Vice President George Bush as legal advisor to the counsel to the president and as deputy director of the office of policy development in U.S. Department of Justice
Rivkin has a BSFS in international relations and an MA in Soviet affairs from Georgetown University. He is a graduate of Columbia University Law School.
He has published a number of papers, articles, book reviews and book chapters on a variety of international, legal, constitutional, defense, arms control, foreign policy, environmental and energy issues. His articles have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times.
He is often called upon by major news networks to be a commentator on constitutional and environmental issues.
John Hinds can be reached at JHinds1949@aol.com or by calling (850) 727-0859
