A law professor serving on Facebook’s independent oversight board is resigning her post to join the Justice Department’s civil rights division on Monday.
A notable transition: Pamela Karlan, a Stanford Law professor who was chosen as one of the group’s 20 original members, has been tapped to serve as principal deputy assistant attorney general in the civil rights division for the Biden administration, the board said.
“Pam Karlan’s legal and civil rights expertise played an important part in shaping the Board and we’re grateful for her contributions,” board spokesperson John Taylor said in a statement. “The Trustees and Board members congratulate Pam on her new role and wish her the very best.”
Key context: Karlan had earlier gone on leave from her position with Facebook to volunteer for Joe Biden’s transition team, Taylor said, and had no involvement in any of the cases the group has already ruled on, nor its new case over former President Donald Trump’s suspension.
Karlan said in a statement that working with the board “to build a fairer and more effective approach to content moderation has been an honor.”
Karlan, a renowned legal scholar with expertise in voting rights, drew national attention for testifying in a House Judiciary Committee hearing over Trump’s impeachment in 2019.
The Justice Department did not immediately return a request for comment.
