The White House announced its intent to nominate Ryan Dean Newman to service as general counsel for the Army on Tuesday, according to a White House press release.
Newman, currently the acting Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy at the Department of Justice, is a former Army captain who deployed to Iraq in 2003 as a part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service.
Newman's service with the Army began as a cadet at the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he graduated in 1998 with a B.S. in International Politics.
After his military service, Newman received his J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin Law School. He was a student of Ted Cruz, whom he would later work for in the Senate.
While at the UT, Newman was the chief notes editor of the Texas Law Review and associate editor of the Texas Review of Law and Politics.
Newman clerked for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, Chief Judge J.L. Edmondson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and Judge Richard J. Leon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He then went on to serve as chief counsel to Cruz, after working as an associate at the law firm Jones Day in Dallas.
In the Army, Newman served as an armor officer at Fort Hood, assigned to the 1st Squadron, 10th U.S. Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. He served as a tank platoon leader, scout platoon leader, troop executive officer and squadron adjutant during his time in the Army, according to an article from the University of Texas Law School.
The Army general counsel is the chief lawyer for the Army, overseeing the department's position on any legal issue, according to the Army General Counsel website.
The Army general counsel provides legal counsel to the Army secretary, undersecretary, five assistant secretaries and other members of the Army Secretariat. The general counsel also supervises the Office of the Judge Advocate General, the Office of the Command Counsel, Army Materiel Command and the Office of the Chief Counsel, Corps of Engineers.
Newman's nomination will be sent to the Senate for confirmation once it's made official.
