Andy Wright

Tara Ganapathy (Linkedin) is Counsel in the Congressional Investigations and White Collar practice groups at K&L Gates in Washington, D.C. Tara previously served as Senior Counsel for Oversight at the White House Office of Management and Budget and, prior to that, the Department of Health and Human Services, where she advised the agencies in connection with a variety of issues concerning congressional investigations, separation of powers, and administrative law.

The Supreme Court’s opinion establishing presidential immunity from many criminal prosecutions in Trump v. United States represents a watershed moment in the development of the law of separation of powers under the U.S. Constitution. It raises fundamental questions about the nature and efficacy of restraints on presidential power in a scheme of checks and balances. It will generate political commentary and academic treatments for decades to come.

On May 10, a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit upheld Steve Bannon’s criminal contempt conviction for noncompliance with subpoenas issued by the House committee established to investigate the January 6th riot and break-ins at the U.S. Capitol. This has been one of many recent controversies involving the law of congressional investigations and Congress’s legal power to enforce its subpoenas for documents and testimony.