Gillian E. Metzger | |
|---|---|
| Assistant Attorney General for theOffice of Legal Counsel | |
| Acting September 2023 – January 5, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Benjamin C. Mizer (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Christopher Fonzone |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1965-10-02)October 2, 1965 (age 60) |
| Profession | Law professor, government official |
| Scientific career | |
| Education | Yale University (BA) University of Oxford (BPhil) Columbia University (JD) |
| Fields | Constitutional law,administrative law,federalism |
| Institutions | Columbia Law School |
Gillian E. Metzger (born October 2, 1965) is an American legal scholar and a professor of law atColumbia Law School who served in the U.S.Office of Legal Counsel until 2024.
The daughter ofColumbia University history professor Walter P. Metzger, Gillian grew up on campus in faculty housing.[1] She earned a bachelor's degree inpolitical science fromYale University in 1987, and then worked as a legislative aide forDistrict Council 37, a local union inNew York City.[1] Metzger then earned aBachelor of Philosophy at theUniversity of Oxford.[1] After several years as a staff analyst for New York City government, Metzger enrolled inColumbia Law School, earning herJ.D. degree in 1995.[2]
After law school, Metzger first clerked withU.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit judgePatricia Wald and then clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Associate JusticeRuth Bader Ginsburg.[2]
After completing her clerkship with Ginsburg, Metzger became a staff attorney for theBrennan Center for Justice at theNew York University School of Law for several years. During her time at the Brennan Center, Metzger worked on two notable causes: challenging Florida's permanent disenfranchisement of convicted felons and defending campaign finance reform measures.[2] Her work on felon disenfranchisement earned her an invitation to testify before theUnited States House Committee on the Judiciary on October 21, 1999.[3]
Metzger joined Columbia Law's faculty in 2001. Her areas of expertise areconstitutional law,administrative law,federalism, and institutional reform.[2] She also has served as the faculty advisor to the school'sAmerican Constitution Society for Law and Policy chapter.[4] She has argued for an expanded reading ofArticle Four of the United States Constitution.[5]
In 2023 Metzger joined the U.S.Office of Legal Counsel as a deputy assistant attorney general.[6] She served as the Acting Assistant Attorney General before the confirmation ofChristopher Fonzone. She is currently on the board of directors of theColumbia Law Review.[7]
Metzger and her husband,New York City Department of Finance Director of Tax Policy Research Michael Hyman, live on Manhattan'sUpper West Side.[1] They have two sons, Oliver and Nathaniel Hyman-Metzger.
