Seth Stodder Enters Obama Administration To Serve As Assistant Secretary Of Homeland Security
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., June 29, 2015 /PRNewswire-iReach/ — BEVERLY HILLS, CA – Today, our partner Seth M.M. Stodder returned to service in the federal government by entering the Obama Administration to serve as Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Threat Prevention and Security Policy. In that role, Stodder will oversee a team advising the Secretary of Homeland Security on a wide variety of issues relating to security threats to the U.S. homeland, and on how to address them while preserving the civil liberties and privacy rights we all cherish.
Among other things, Stodder will oversee DHS policy on the screening of people and cargo moving through the global and domestic transportation systems and across U.S. borders, visa policy and the Visa Waiver Program, law enforcement and surveillance policy, supply chain security, the national security implications of certain foreign investments in the United States, among many other issues.
“This is a time of great instability and danger in the world, and I’m deeply honored by the trust President Obama, Secretary Johnson, and Assistant Secretary for Policy Alan Bersin have placed in me. I look forward to serving our country again, as we work to meet these challenges, while preserving the values so important to us as Americans,” said Stodder.
This is Stodder’s second stint in government. Previously, he served in the Bush Administration as Director of Policy for U.S. Customs and Border Protection in the years immediately after the 9/11 attacks. His service in both the Bush and Obama Administrations reflects the spirit of nonpartisanship so necessary in the area of national security, and is consistent with Stodder’s Independent “No Party Preference” campaign for the California State Senate last year.
“As a nation, we face challenges too complex for simple thinking or partisanship, and we must unify to meet those challenges, drawing from the brightest minds and best ideas, regardless of partisan affiliation,” said Stodder.
“Of course, we are saddened to see Seth go, but excited by his return to public service in a field where his expertise regarding trade, security and civil liberties can be of benefit to our entire country. We need leadership like Seth’s during a time when we face ever-more sophisticated security threats from across the world and from even within the United States. We wish him well, and look forward to his return down the road,” said Zein E. Obagi, Jr., managing partner of Obagi & Stodder LLP – now renamed Litigation, P.C.
Obagi is a noted aggressive litigator, prosecuting private and public interest cases in state and federal trial and appellate courts. Most recently, Mr. Obagi has represented a wide array of clients in claims for insurance bad faith and breach of contract, civil liberties and educational rights violations, and deprivation of military veterans’ service-connected disability benefits. “At Litigation, P.C., we will continue to be a strong voice for the disempowered, and remain dedicated to providing our clients with top-flight big-firm quality legal representation. Our steadfast commitment to justice has earned us our clients’ trust to serve them at the most important times. This commitment is just as solid with Seth’s departure, and will only grow stronger,” said Obagi.
