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This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.

KPCC Archive

Conservative legal scholar going to Malta

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Conservative legal scholar going to Malta
Conservative legal scholar going to Malta

Pepperdine Law School is losing one of its luminaries to the diplomatic corps. KPCC’s Washington Correspondent Kitty Felde reports.

President Obama has tapped Constitutional Law Professor Doug Kmiec to be the new US Ambassador to Malta. Kmiec served as legal counsel to two Republican presidents – Ronald Reagan and George HW Bush. But his public endorsement of Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama put him at odds with conservative Catholics, including one LA priest who denied him communion.

Kmiec said one reason he backed Barack Obama was because he “reaffirm(s) an American foreign policy respectful of international standard.” Malta has been a republic only since 1974. 98 percent of the population is reportedly Roman Catholic.

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