Appeals court judge to speak at Y. today

PROVO — Thomas Griffith, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and former general counsel at BYU, will speak today at 11:05 a.m. in the Marriott Center.

A Brigham Young University alumnus, Griffith served from 1995 to 1999 as the chief legal officer of the U.S. Senate.

Griffith represented the Senate during the impeachment trial of President Clinton, as well as the Senate's investigations into the Whitewater, campaign finance and China technology transfer incidents.

His appointment to the bench was controversial.

Griffith, who was nominated by President Bush after lawyer Miguel Estrada withdrew his nomination, drew heat during the confirmation hearings because he didn't have a law license while working as general counsel for BYU.