Houston Chronicle
Letters to the Editor
August 5, 2009
Disappointed by criticism
I was disappointed by Rick Casey's column criticizing Texas Tech's appointment of the
former Attorney General of the United States as a law professor (“Former AG humiliated
once again,” Page B1, Sunday). Any law school should be proud to have Alberto
Gonzales. Gonzales worked his way up to become a partner at the fine law firm of
Vinson & Elkins. He put together sophisticated mergers and acquisitions. He'd be
unusually qualified to teach corporations, securities and business planning. He was a
justice of the Texas Supreme Court. He'd be an expert teacher about the executive branch
of the United States government, which is one of his courses. Casey says that Gonzales'
“resume doesn't give much evidence … of teaching ability.” But no one gets hired to
teach in law school on the basis of education courses. Most people with stellar law
credentials haven't taken them. Besides, for teaching about the executive branch, isn't
holding one of the highest offices evidence of ability? Casey says Gonzales had a “heroic
inability to remember” meetings. But he must have had literally thousands of meetings.
Quick! Name everyone you spoke to, even informally, on January 22, 2007. The AG
faces issues such as preventing another 9/11. I'd rather see him concentrate on that. Casey
adds that “the poor guy has to live in Lubbock.” I've got news: Some people prefer
Lubbock to Houston. As a visible Republican, Gonzales is unusual in academia, and
since he participated in decisions about security and justice, he has critics who never
faced anything like those decisions. But getting Gonzales is a coup. Congratulations to
Texas Tech.
— David Crump, John B. Neibel Professor of Law, University of Houston