Special to the Daily
Recently elected Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser will give a talk at The Sebastian in Vail as part of the Vail Symposium on Monday. The son and grandson of Holocaust survivors, Weiser has built a career as an attorney and a scholar of law, dedicated to protecting citizens and their rights, which he has continued as attorney general since January. On Monday, Weiser will discuss his time in office and his mission to protect the rights of Coloradans.
Attorney generals are important parts of government, both state and national. They act as the top legal officers of their state or territory. They advise and represent their legislature and state agencies and act as the “People’s Lawyer” for the citizens.
“Attorney General Weiser has had an interesting career including appointments under two former presidents and holding clerkships at the United States Supreme Court for Justices Byron White and Ruth Bader Ginsburg,” said Kris Sabel, executive director for the Vail Symposium. “We’re looking forward to hearing about his progress as attorney general thus far and how it impacts Coloradans.”
Weiser wants to ensure that the public understands what his job is and what his priorities are in office.
“The attorney general’s job is protecting the rights of the people of Colorado,” Weiser told Westword Denver. “People are concerned about a federal government that treats dreamers and people at the border in ways that are unconstitutional. They’re concerned about the opioid epidemic. They’re concerned about protecting our air, water and land. Because I constantly emphasized that the job of the attorney general is to protect people and their rights, that was the message we got through (during the election).”
During this program, meet Weiser and hear his personal story. He will also share his plans as he serves as “the people’s lawyer,” protecting civil rights, consumer rights and the environment.
About the speakers
Weiser is the 39th attorney general of Colorado. As the state’s chief legal officer, Weiser is committed to protecting the people of Colorado and building a law office that will serve all Coloradans effectively.
Previously, Weiser served as a professor of law and dean of the University of Colorado Law School, where he founded the Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology and Entrepreneurship. Weiser held senior leadership positions in the Obama administration, appointed to serve as a deputy assistant attorney general in the U.S. Department of Justice and as senior adviser for technology and innovation at the White House’s National Economic Council.
Earlier in his career, Weiser co-chaired the Colorado Innovation Council and served in President Bill Clinton’s Department of Justice.
A member of the CPR News staff since 2015, moderator Jo Ann Allen has three decades of public radio experience, including hosting “Morning Edition,” “All Things Considered” and “Weekend Edition” at WNYC in New York City for 18 years; hosting “Morning Edition” at WHYY in Philadelphia; and serving as news anchor for KPBS in San Diego. She began her career as a reporter and host at Wisconsin Public Radio in Madison.