Ousted Manhattan prosecutor Geoffrey Berman to teach at Stanford

Geoffrey Berman, the ousted U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, will teach a course at Stanford Law School in the fall 2020 term. 

Berman is set to teach a course titled “Prosecutorial Discretion and Ethical Duties in the Enforcement of Federal Criminal Law,” the school confirmed Wednesday in a statement. 

Berman received his law degree from Stanford in 1984. His course is set to examine decision making among prosecutors, including “deciding whether or not to charge, what crimes to charge, and what punishments to seek,” according to the university. 

“We are pleased to welcome back Geoffrey to Stanford Law,” Jenny Martínez, Richard E. Lang Professor of Law and dean of Stanford Law School, said in a statement, The Washington Post reported. “Many of our students will go on to careers in criminal law, public interest, and government work and Geoff’s presence on our campus is a unique opportunity for our students to learn from a well-respected and accomplished public servant and professional.”

Berman said that he looked forward to acting as “a resource to students who are interested in criminal and national security law.”

“Prosecutors wield enormous power over life, liberty and reputation and should be subject to ethical standards higher than those that apply to other attorneys,” he said in a statement.  

The Justice Department announced on June 19 that the former prosecutor had stepped down. However, Berman refuted the announcement.

Attorney General William Barr then sent Berman a letter notifying him that President Trump agreed to fire him. Berman’s dismissal came as he was in the midst of a slew of investigations, including into associates of President Trump.

Berman testified before that House Judiciary Committee last week that Barr “repeatedly urged” him to resign prior to his ouster. 

“The Attorney General said that if I did not resign from my position I would be fired,” Berman said. “He added that getting fired from my job would not be good for my resume or future job prospects. I told him that while I did not want to get fired, I would not resign.”