Earlier this month, the Government Lawyers Oversight Watchdog (GLOW) launched a new, volunteer-managed database that provides “a freely accessible public record of how government lawyers have conducted themselves while representing, or supporting, U.S. Executive Branch legal positions” (press release). More details follow, including from Omri Marian (UC Irvine), GLOW’s president.

From GLOW’s website:

The Government Lawyers Database aims to provide a comprehensive, publicly accessible record of lawyers who are or were involved in representing or supporting the legal positions of the U.S. Executive Branch. This database serves as an informational resource for researchers, journalists, and the public. The Government Lawyers Database was created, and is maintained by GLOW—Government Lawyers Oversight Watchdog. GLOW is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization aiming to increase public access to information regarding conduct of government lawyers, to champion policies that strengthen government lawyers’ ethical and professional behavior, and to enhance public trust in legal work performed by government lawyers.

From GLOW’s press release:

“The administration sets policy, but lawyers working for the government have a duty to ensure laws are applied fairly and justly on behalf of all Americans,” said Omri Marian, GLOW’s President and a Professor of Law at UC Irvine. “As it stands, however, there is no effective mechanism to hold government lawyers accountable when they fail to meet that duty. GLOW was created to help fill that gap.”