David Bernhardt has served at Interior as one of my most trusted advisors handling some of the more complex legal issues facing the Department
Interior Secretary Gale Norton
 | The President intends to appoint David Longly Bernhardt, of Colorado, to be United States Commissioner of the International Boundary Commission (United States and Canada). Mr. Bernhardt currently serves as the Solicitor of the Department of the Interior and Acting United States Commissioner of the International Boundary Commission. |
Prior to this, he served as Deputy Solicitor, Deputy Chief of Staff, and Counselor to the Secretary at the Department of the Interior. Earlier in his career, he served as Legislative Director for Congressman Scott McInnis. Mr. Bernhardt received his bachelor's degree from the University of Northern Colorado and his JD from The George Washington University.
For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary September 9, 2008
David Longly Bernhardt currently serves as Solicitor of the Department of the Interior. Bernhardt entered the job with more experience in the Department than any individual who has been nominated for the position of Interior Solicitor in more than 30 years. The Solicitor is the third ranking official in the Department and its chief legal officer. The Solicitor provides legal advice to the Secretary and members of his staff, the Assistant Secretaries of the Department, the heads of the offices and bureaus and all other officers and employees of Interior. The Solicitor also is also responsible for formulating the legal policies of the Department and resolving any conflicts which may arise in the application of these policies.
David has extensive experience within the Department of the Interior. He previously served as Deputy Solicitor, as well as, Deputy Chief of Staff and Counselor to the Secretary and as Director of Congressional and Legislative Affairs and Counselor to the Secretary of the Interior.
Before joining Interior, Bernhardt was an associate with the law firm of Brownstein Hyatt and Farber, P.C. (1998 to 2001) a well-known law firm headquartered in Denver Colorado. He worked in the firm's Legislative and Public Policy Group since 1998. He was Rules Committee Associate/Legal Counsel from 1994 to 1998 for Congressman Scott McInnis (R-CO) and prior to that was a legislative assistant to the congressman.
While serving on Congressman McInnis' staff, he was the Congressman's liaison to the Speaker's Planning Advisory Team and to the House Republican Leadership's Tobacco Task Force. Mr. Bernhardt also served as the Congressman's point person on the Colorado Ute's Indian Tribe water rights settlement. During his tenure with Congressman McInnis, he negotiated numerous legislative measures relating to energy, public lands, natural resources and the environment.
Bernhardt earned a B.A. in political science with a minor in business administration from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley in 1990. He graduated with honors from the George Washington University National Law Center in 1994 and was admitted to the Colorado Bar that same year.
Mr. Bernhardt the author of Guiding Principles in Informational Policy: The Rules are Changing, The Colorado Lawyer, April 2000.
A native of Rifle, Colorado, David is married to Gena Rae Bernhardt and has two children, William and Katherine and resides in Arlington Virginia.
On November 18, 2005 President George W. Bush nominated David to be Solicitor for the U.S. Department of the Interior. He was unanimously confirmed by the Senate on September 30, 2006 and was sworn into office on October 5, 2006.
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