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White House Says No Plans for DOJ Recess Appointment

President Barack Obama has no plans to use a recess appointment to install Dawn Johnsen as head of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Council, according to a White House official.

Johnsen, an Indiana University law professor, has drawn opposition from conservatives over her positions on abortion and the war on terror.

Johnsen’s nomination was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on a party-line vote on March 20 following a contentious hearing on Feb. 25.

The White House does not expect the Senate to act soon on Johnsen’s nomination, and it appears she could remain in limbo into the fall. Obama announced her nomination in January, two weeks before he was inaugurated.

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