Opinion ID: 186079
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Stewart's Employment at DOJ

Text: 2 Appellant Stewart joined DOJ in 1985 as a prosecutor in the Fraud Section of the Criminal Division. From 1987 to 1989, he served as an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. In 1989 he arrived at ECS, where he has since remained. In 1996, Stewart was appointed to the position of Senior Litigation Counsel, a new Senior Executive Service (SES) position. This made Stewart the only SES-level person inside ECS, other than the Chief. Throughout Stewart's career at ECS, he has repeatedly applied for leadership positions, including: (1) Chief of ECS in 1994, 1997, and 2000; (2) Deputy Chief of ECS in 1998; and (3) two Assistant Chief positions in 1998. In this litigation, Stewart alleges that his non-selection as Chief in 1998 and 2000 was for reasons of racial discrimination. The 1998 appointment of Stephen P. Solow 3 In 1997, Stewart applied for the then-vacant Chief position. In October of 1997, Lois J. Schiffer, the Assistant Attorney General responsible for filling the vacancy, sent a letter to the Senior Executive Services Board stating that Solow had been selected for the position. On October 30, 1997, she appointed Solow Acting Chief of the Division. In order to comply with federal regulations, the position was re-advertised from January 12 to January 27, 1998, and new applications were considered. On February 3, 1998, Solow was appointed to the SES, a requirement to fill the Chief position. Accordingly, he was appointed on February 3, 1998 to be Chief of ECS. The 2000 appointment of Uhlmann 4 When the Chief position again became vacant in 2000, Stewart again applied. Assistant Attorney General Schiffer was again responsible for the selection. This time, she selected Uhlmann. According to Schiffer, Uhlmann had several qualities that were critical for the job, particularly his management and leadership ability. Like Stewart, Uhlmann had experience working with various United States Attorney's offices around the country. Uhlmann had handled complex cases and was highly regarded by the Solicitor General's Office. Schiffer Dep. 159.