Shareholder Ryan Hedges was heavily quoted in a recent Compliance Week article, “The rise of a new Department of Justice: Reading the tea leaves.” Mr. Hedges, a member of the Vedder Price Government Enforcement & Special Investigations practice group and former federal prosecutor, spoke to the uncertain future of the Department of Justice (DOJ) in the new Trump Administration.

Mr. Hedges discussed how difficult it is to predict what course the DOJ will take following the recent Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation of Alabama Republican Senator Jeff Sessions as Attorney General. “Any time there is an administration change and a change atop the [DOJ] with the Attorney General, there’s going to be a shift in enforcement priorities,” said Mr. Hedges. Nevertheless, there are likely to be some consistencies between the Obama Administration and the Trump Administration’s enforcement priorities. For example, Mr. Hedges believes that holding individuals accountable for corporate wrongdoing will remain a constant during the transition, stating, “Individuals are going to remain in the crosshairs of enforcement activity.”

The article goes on to discuss how enforcement priorities may be borne out in the Department’s budgeting process. “Those priorities must inform how local U.S. Attorneys’ Offices decide how to carve out their resources and dedicate their staff to carry out the Department’s goals,” said Mr. Hedges.

Commenting on the chances of Rod Rosenstein’s confirmation as Deputy Attorney General, Mr. Hedges noted that the nominee has bipartisan support, which “probably bodes well for his confirmation.” Mr. Rosenstein, Trump’s pick for the second highest post in the DOJ, has served under three presidential administrations.

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