View source for Iris Lan

{{short description|American lawyer}}
{{Infobox officeholder
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| name                = Iris Lan
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| image               = Iris Lan NASA official portrait.webp
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| caption             = Official [[NASA]] portrait
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| education           = [[Harvard University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]], [[Master of Arts|MA]], [[Juris Doctor|JD]])
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'''Iris Lan''' is an American lawyer who serves as a career associate deputy attorney general in the [[United States Department of Justice]].  She was previously an [[Assistant United States Attorney|Assistant U.S. Attorney]] in the [[United States District Court for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]] and taught as an Adjunct Lecturer at [[Columbia Law School]]. She was appointed general counsel of [[NASA]] in June 2023.
== Career ==
Lan began her career as a [[law clerk]] to Judge [[William Curtis Bryson]] of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit]] and as a litigation associate at [[Cravath, Swaine & Moore|Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP]].  Lan subsequently joined the Department of Justice as an [[Assistant United States Attorney]] in the [[United States District Court for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]], where she handled a wide range of criminal trials and appeals.  Among other cases, she prosecuted an FCPA case against a former CEO;<ref>{{Cite news|title=Andrew Longstreth, Prosecutor Gives Closing Argument in Frederic Bourke FCPA Trial, The American Lawyer, July 6, 2009.}}</ref> the [[WorldCom scandal|Worldcom securities fraud case]];<ref>{{Cite web|title=FindLaw's United States Second Circuit case and opinions.|url=https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-2nd-circuit/1326415.html|website=Findlaw|language=en-US}}</ref> and al Qaeda terrorists for the [[1998 United States embassy bombings]] in East Africa.<ref>{{Cite web|title=FindLaw's United States Second Circuit case and opinions.|url=https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-2nd-circuit/1386237.html|website=Findlaw|language=en-US}}</ref>  She was later promoted to serve as deputy chief of the appeals unit, supervising prosecutors in briefing and arguing appeals before the [[U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit]].  During the Obama administration, Lan also served as a counsel to the assistant attorney general for the Department's National Security Division, [[David S. Kris]], and as an attorney-adviser in the [[Office of Legal Counsel]].  This is also when she began serving as a career associate deputy attorney general.<ref name="WHBio">[https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/president-donald-j-trump-announces-judicial-nominees-8/ "President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominees" White House, November 6, 2019] {{PD-notice}}</ref>
Lan is a former nominee to be a United States District Judge of the [[United States District Court for the Southern District of New York]].  On November 6, 2019, the President announced his intent to nominate Lan to serve as a [[United States federal judge|United States district judge]]. On December 2, 2019, her nomination was sent to the Senate. The President nominated Lan to the seat vacated by Judge [[Katherine B. Forrest]], who resigned on September 11, 2018.<ref>[https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/eight-nominations-one-withdrawal-sent-senate-2/ "Eight Nominations and One Withdrawal Sent to the Senate", White House, December 2, 2019]</ref> On January 3, 2020, her nomination was returned to the President under [[Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XXXI|Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6]] of the [[United States Senate]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.congress.gov/nomination/116th-congress/1316 |title=PN1316 - Nomination of Iris Lan for The Judiciary, 116th Congress (2019–2020) |date=2020-01-03 |website=www.congress.gov |access-date=2020-01-04}}</ref> On May 4, 2020, her renomination was sent to the Senate, along with the nomination of two other New York nominees, [[Jennifer H. Rearden|Jennifer Rearden]] and [[Saritha Komatireddy]].<ref>[https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/thirty-nominations-one-withdrawal-sent-senate/ "Thirty Nominations and One Withdrawal Sent to the Senate", The White House, May 4, 2020]</ref> Once the [[2020 United States presidential election]] happened, Democratic Senators stopped returning blue slips for all New York nominees.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Andrew Kragie|title=Dem Sens. Blocking Trial Court Picks Amid High Court Fight - Law360|url=https://www.law360.com/articles/1314408/dem-sens-blocking-trial-court-picks-amid-high-court-fight|website=www.law360.com|language=en}}</ref> On January 3, 2021, her nomination was returned to the President under [[Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XXXI|Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6]] of the [[United States Senate]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-01-03 |title=PN1744 - Nomination of Iris Lan for The Judiciary, 116th Congress (2019–2020) |url=https://www.congress.gov/nomination/116th-congress/1744 |access-date=2021-01-05 |website=www.congress.gov}}</ref>
While at the [[United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York|U.S. Attorney's Office]], Lan also taught at [[Columbia Law School]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Patent Buddy |url=http://www.patentbuddy.com/FirmOrOrganization/AttorneysAgents/Cravath/Swaine/Moore/LLP/21404}}</ref>  Lan is an elected member of the [[American Law Institute]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Members |url=https://www.ali.org/members/member/378437/ |website=American Law Institute |language=en}}</ref>
In June 2023, she was appointed NASA General Counsel.<ref>{{cite web |title=Iris Lan, NASA General Counsel |url=https://www.nasa.gov/feature/iris-lan-nasa-general-counsel/ |website=NASA |date=5 June 2023 |access-date=2 August 2023}}</ref>
== References ==
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[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Place of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Date of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Assistant United States Attorneys]]
[[Category:Harvard Law School alumni]]
[[Category:New York (state) lawyers]]
[[Category:United States Department of Justice lawyers]]
[[Category:21st-century American women lawyers]]
[[Category:21st-century American lawyers]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Harvard College alumni]]
[[Category:NASA people]]