A Discussion of the Rule of Law and Judicial Independence with Former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales

Alberto Gonzales is the former U.S. Attorney General, appointed by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the Senate in 2005, serving until 2007. His career includes roles as Justice on the Texas Supreme Court, Texas Secretary of State, Counsel to the President, and partner at the law firm Vinson & Elkins. In 2014, he became Dean of Belmont University College of Law, where he holds the Doyle Rogers Distinguished Chair of Law and teaches courses in constitutional and national security law.

Professor Farhat served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Major Frauds Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. As a federal prosecutor, he investigated and prosecuted white collar crimes, including healthcare fraud, bank fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, bankruptcy fraud, and money laundering. While in the Major Frauds Section, Professor Farhat served as the criminal healthcare fraud coordinator for the U.S. Attorney’s Office and oversaw the investigative activities of the U.S. Department of Justice Medicare Fraud Strike Force for the Central District. Before becoming a criminal prosecutor, Professor Farhat was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, where he represented the United States in commercial litigation and other civil cases. Professor Farhat served as a Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Edward Rafeedie, U.S. District Court Judge for the Central District of California. Before joining the law school as a clinical faculty member, he was a partner at Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP, where he served as chair of the firm’s White Collar Defense & Investigations Group, and before that a partner at Holland & Knight LLP. In private practice, Professor Farhat represented financial services companies, government contractors, real estate and construction companies, healthcare providers, nonprofits, and trustees and fiduciaries in government investigations, and complex, high-stakes litigation.