Ashley S. Deeks is an American legal scholar who serves as an associate

White House Counsel The White House counsel is a senior staff appointee of the president of the United States whose role is to advise the president on all legal issues concerning the president and their administration. The White House counsel also oversees the Of ...

and deputy legal adviser to the

U.S. National Security Council The United States National Security Council (NSC) is the principal forum used by the President of the United States for consideration of national security, military, and foreign policy matters. Based in the White House, it is part of the Exe ...

in the

Biden administration Joe Biden's tenure as the 46th president of the United States began with his inauguration on January 20, 2021. Biden, a Democrat from Delaware who previously served as vice president under Barack Obama, took office following his victory ...

. She is also the E. James Kelly, Jr.–Class of 1965 Research Professor of Law at the

University of Virginia School of Law The University of Virginia School of Law (Virginia Law or UVA Law) is the law school of the University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson as part of his "academical v ...

. She is an expert on national security law.

Education

Deeks earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in art from

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a col ...

1993 and a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from the

University of Chicago Law School The University of Chicago Law School is the law school of the University of Chicago, a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. It is consistently ranked among the best and most prestigious law schools in the world, and has many dist ...

, where she served as comment editor on the ''

University of Chicago Law Review The ''University of Chicago Law Review'' ( Maroonbook abbreviation: ''U Chi L Rev'') is the flagship law journal published by the University of Chicago Law School. It is among the top five most cited law reviews in the world. Up until 2020, it util ...

''.

Career

After graduating from law school, Deeks clerked for Judge

Edward R. Becker Edward Roy Becker (May 4, 1933 – May 19, 2006) was a United States federal judge, United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for ...

on the

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (in case citations, 3d Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts for the following districts: * District of Delaware * District of New Jersey * East ...

. She worked at the

U.S. State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...

in its Office of Legal Adviser as an assistant legal adviser on political-military affairs, where she was advised on intelligence and legal issues such as armed conflict, the use of force and weapons, and the legal framework for the conflict between the U.S. and

Al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...

. Her previous positions within the State Department focused on international law enforcement, extradition and diplomatic property. Between 2010 and 2012, Deeks worked as an academic fellow at

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked i ...

before joining the

as an associate professor in 2012. Her teaching and research interests include international law, national security law, intelligence, and the laws of armed conflict. On January 11, 2021, it was announced that Deeks would serve as associate counsel in the

Office of the White House Counsel The White House counsel is a senior staff appointee of the president of the United States whose role is to advise the president on all legal issues concerning the president and their administration. The White House counsel also oversees the Of ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Deeks, Ashley S. American legal scholars American legal writers 21st-century American lawyers Williams College alumni University of Chicago Law School alumni University of Virginia School of Law faculty Living people Year of birth missing (living people)