Eileen Decker
USC Gould School of Law

Until earlier this year, Eileen M. Decker served as a United States Attorney, and as such was the chief federal law enforcement officer in the Central District of California, a sprawling district based in Los Angeles that encompasses seven counties. Decker oversaw the largest United States Attorney’s Office outside of the District of Columbia, an office that employs approximately 280 attorneys who serve almost 20 million residents. The United States Attorney’s Office prosecutes the entire range of federal criminal offenses, defends the United States in civil actions, and represents government interests in tax matters.

After being unanimously confirmed as United States Attorney by the United States Senate on June 11, 2015, Decker was given a four-year appointment by President Barack Obama. As part of her duties, Decker served on five Attorney General Advisory Committees – Civil Rights, Cyber/Intellectual Property, Terrorism/National Security, Violent and Organized Crime, and White Collar/Fraud. Along with many of her colleagues who were appointed by President Obama, Decker resigned on March 10, 2017.

Decker was recently named a Specialist with the Department of State, Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, a program that allows her to travel overseas to lecture and consult on issues of importance to foreign institutions and governments.

Prior to becoming the United States Attorney, Decker was the Deputy Mayor for Homeland Security and Public Safety for the City of Los Angeles for nearly six years. As Deputy Mayor, Ms. Decker was responsible for matters related to the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles Fire Department, and the Emergency Management Department. In addition, she was the principle liaison for the City of Los Angeles to all federal law enforcement agencies.

Decker was an Assistant United States Attorney for almost 15 years, during which time she investigated and prosecuted a wide variety of cases. During her tenure as an Assistant United States Attorney, she was the first Chief of the National Security Section. She also served as Deputy Chief of the Organized Crime and Terrorism Section and as Deputy Chief of Organized Crime Strike Force.

Prior to becoming an Assistant United States Attorney, Decker was in private practice for three years at the law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Los Angeles. She also served as a law clerk to United States District Judge Gary L. Taylor in the Central District of California.

Decker received her undergraduate and law degrees from New York University. She also received a Master’s Degree in Homeland Security Studies from the Naval Postgraduate School and, in 2007, was a Wasserstein Fellow at Harvard Law School. In addition, she is a Past President of the Women Lawyer’s Association of Los Angeles.

  

FACULTY IN THE NEWS

Bloomberg Government
June 22, 2022
Re: Franita Tolson

Franita Tolson was interviewed about how federal lawsuits from North Carolina, Alabama, and Arkansas test the limits of the Voting Rights Act, the boundaries of state government authority, and the ability of voting rights groups to file racial gerrymandering cases. “These doctrines and approaches in these cases fundamentally reset the rules of the game,” she said. “In 2030 we will live in a completely different world than we lived in in 2020, and 2020 was not favorable to minority voters at all.”

RECENT SCHOLARSHIP

Robin Craig
March, 2022

"Saltwater Sovereignty: Tribal Marine Management Authority Along the Pacific Coast.” Online Environmental Law Workshop. University of Maryland School of Law, Baltimore, MD.

Daniel Klerman
March, 2022

“Comment on Choi, Erickson, & Pritchard, ‘Coalitions among Plaintiffs’ Attorneys in Securities Class Actions’,” Conference on Empirical Legal Studies, Virtual, Toronto, ON, Canada.

Robin Craig
March, 2022

“Who’s on First? The Mind-Blowing Attempt to Conceptualize Deference in the Midst of Decision Delays and Agency Repeals,” J.B. and Maurice C. Shapiro Environmental Law Symposium for the George Washington University School of Law, Virtual, Washington, D.C.