Description

Episode Summary

Chuck Blanchard gives us a primer on the relationship between the military and politics by recounting his experience as General Counsel of the Air Force and Army and almost becoming a Congressman. He speaks candidly about being a clerk of the Supreme Court under Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and how the Court functions from an insider's view. If you’ve ever wondered how the government really works then don’t miss Chuck Blanchard on The Sydcast.  

Syd Finkelstein 

Syd Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Professor of Management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. He holds a Masters degree from the London School of Economics and a Ph.D. from Columbia University. Professor Finkelstein has published 25 books and 90 articles, including the bestsellers Why Smart Executives Fail and Superbosses: How Exceptional Leaders Master the Flow of Talent, whichLinkedIn Chairman Reid Hoffman calls the “leadership guide for the Networked Age.” He is also a Fellow of the Academy of Management, a consultant and speaker to leading companies around the world, and a top 25 on the global Thinkers 50 list of top management gurus. Professor Finkelstein’s research and consulting work often relies on in-depth and personal interviews with hundreds of people, an experience that led him to create and host his own podcast, The Sydcast, to uncover and share the stories of all sorts of fascinating people in business, sports, entertainment, politics, academia, and everyday life. 

Charles Blanchard

Charles Blanchard, who previously served as the General Counsel of the Air Force and the Army, works with clients in the contracting and national security communities, drawing upon his experience in government and private practice, providing unique insights into doing business with the federal government. He represents major US and foreign defense and aerospace companies on a wide range of national security and government contracts issues, including bid protests, transactions, internal investigations, cybersecurity and sensitive national security issues. This has included representing several companies in bid protest matters, advising companies on the unique issues raised in acquiring companies that do highly classified work for the government, bid protests, data rights disputes, Trade Agreements Act and Buy America advice, suspension and debarment defense, CFIUS and global foreign investment review advice, and advice on compliance with US government cybersecurity and supply chain requirements.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Blanchard served as General Counsel and Chief Ethics Officer for the US Air Force (2009-2013). In this role, he provided oversight and guidance for legal advice provided by more than 2,600 Air Force military and civilian lawyers worldwide. In addition, he served as General Counsel at the US Department of the Army (1999-2001). Mr. Blanchard's other government experience includes serving as Chief Counsel to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (1997-1999), and as a two-term member of the Arizona State Senate. In 2003, he served as Interim Homeland Security Director for former Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano. Mr. Blanchard was also formerly a partner in private practice where he focused on complex commercial litigation, antitrust, state constitutional law, and election law.  

Upon graduating from Harvard Law School, where he graduated first in his class and served as an Articles Editor for the Harvard Law Review, Mr. Blanchard served as a law clerk for DC Circuit Judge Harry Edwards (1985-1986) as well as US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor (1986-1987). Mr. Blanchard also holds a Master of Public Policy degree from Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Insights from this episode:

• Details on the relationship between the military, political parties, and their appointees and how things aren’t always what they seem to the public.
• Strategies employed by political parties to solidify power and how those machinations can be used for good.  
• Benefits of being a law clerk for Sandra Day O’Connor, the mentorship she provided, and her views on the role of the Supreme Court. 
• Secrets behind how the Supreme Court decides which cases to hear, how decisions are made, the role of the Chief Justice, and how personalities affect working relationships.
• Details on the impact to the military justice system caused by the Executive Order voiding military convictions and the potential long term fallout to military justice.

Quotes from the show: 

• “One of the great wonders of the United States military is that they truly are non-partisan and they truly do respect political appointees.” – Chuck Blanchard
• On Justice O’Connor hiring law clerks non-ideologically: “It made her a better justice having people on the right and the left of her to keep her grounded in the arguments she would face.” – Chuck Blanchard
• On Justice O’Connor’s approach to rendering decisions: “She had a very pragmatic approach to the law, realizing that people rely on [those] decisions and it’s better off not making grand pronouncements that are beyond what you need to say to resolve that case.” – Chuck Blanchard
• On politics in the Supreme Court: “It’s less Democrat and Republican and more different judicial philosophies.” – Chuck Blanchard
• “The entire country has become more polarized in almost any dimension you want to look at.” – Syd Finkelstein
• On how the Supreme Court decides which cases to hear: “In some sense, what’s happening in the larger culture can have a big impact on what the [Supreme] Court decides to take or not take.” – Chuck Blanchard
• “The trick is to try to write an opinion that will meet the needs of all of the majority.” – Chuck Blanchard
• “There are norms in international law that this country, not only has agreed to, we were advocates for creating them in the first place [to establish] how we fight war.” – Chuck Blanchard
• On the effects of President Trump’s military intervention: “The disrespect that was shown to the military justice system will hurt the military.” – Chuck Blanchard
• On President Trump voiding the convictions of members of the military: “A code has been broken here, one that really should not have been broken.” – Syd Finkelstein 

Stay Connected:

Syd Finkelstein

Website: http://thesydcast.com

LinkedIn: Sydney Finkelstein

Twitter: @sydfinkelstein

Facebook: The Sydcast

Instagram: The Sydcast

Charles Blanchard 

Website: Arnold & Porter

LinkedIn: Charles Blanchard

Twitter: @FmrAirForceGC

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This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry (www.podcastlaundry.com)