Public Service and Private Servers: The Law of Government Information Retention and Security

Shannen W. Coffin is a litigation partner with Steptoe & Johnson LLP. His practice focuses on appellate and regulatory litigation. Mr. Coffin served in senior legal positions in the George W. Bush Administration.  From 2002-2004, he was the Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Division, Federal Programs Branch.  He later served as Counsel to Vice President Dick Cheney.  Mr. Coffin is a graduate of Loyola University, New Orleans and Georgetown Law Center.  He is a Contributing Editor to National Review and a frequent guest on Fox News' The Kelly File and other news programs.

 

The conviction of CIA Director David Petraeus for mishandling classified information that he kept in his home in violation of security protocols.  Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email address to conduct official business.  There has been much in the news recently relating to public officials’ transmission and retention of public records, and the classification and security practices related to the information contained therein.  Shannen Coffin will speak to us regarding several of the national security, criminal, and regulatory dimensions related to the handling of sensitive government information.  What laws and regulations define government officials’ responsibilities concerning the classification, transmittal, and retention of government information?  Are government employees allowed to use private servers or commercial email services to conduct official business and transmit government documents?  Are government servers in fact the most secure way of communicating sensitive information, or do rules that confine certain communications to official channels serve chiefly a record-keeping purpose?  Mr. Coffin will break down these issues and more, as they relate to the national security, counterintelligence, law enforcement, and administrative functions of the government.