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Federal Election Commission | United States of America
  • Press Release

Lawrence H. Norton Named General Counsel

August 20, 2001

WASHINGTON – The Federal Election Commission announced today the appointment of Lawrence H. Norton, an official with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, as the FEC’s new General Counsel.

Since 1996, Norton has been Associate Director in the CFTC’s Division of Enforcement, where he supervises investigations of financial fraud and trading violations, and is director of the litigation team. He also develops and implements policy and special initiatives, advises the CFTC Commissioners and division heads on regulatory and legal issues, is a standing member of multi-agency task forces and is an adjunct instructor with the National Institute of Trial Advocacy.

He has been an Assistant Director at the Federal Trade Commission, where he supervised consumer protection investigations and litigation. Before joining the federal government, Norton was an Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Litigation Division of the Maryland Attorney General’s Office. He graduated Order of the Coif from the University of Maryland School of Law and was Assistant Editor of the Maryland Law Review.

Norton replaces former General Counsel Lawrence M. Noble, who resigned in January. At the FEC, Norton will be in charge of 118 government employees composing the divisions of enforcement, litigation, policy, and public financing-ethics-special projects.

FEC Chairman Danny L. McDonald commented, "The six commissioners of the FEC conducted a careful and thoughtful search over some eight months, interviewing many top-flight candidates for the General Counsel position before we reached unanimous consensus about Larry Norton. He has impressive credentials and a stellar reputation and I’m very pleased that he has accepted our offer to come aboard."

Vice Chairman David M. Mason noted, "Norton has a perfect blend of enforcement, litigation and policy experience to bring to the General Counsel’s position at the FEC, but it is his outstanding performance as a government manager that made the Commission enthusiastic in selecting him for this critical job."

Norton will report for duty at the FEC in mid-September, a date-certain still to be established.

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This information is not intended to replace the law or to change its meaning, nor does this information create or confer any rights for or on any person or bind the Federal Election Commission or the public.

The reader is encouraged also to consult the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended (52 U.S.C. 30101 et seq.), Commission regulations (Title 11 of the Code of Federal Regulations), Commission advisory opinions and applicable court decisions.