Attorney General Bob Ferguson on chess moves and the Muslim ban

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson was elected in 2012 after a career path that included service on the King County Council, litigation for a major Seattle law firm, clerkships for federal judges, and a stint as a traveling chess master. In this talk, he tells the story of his fascination with chess and the behind-the-scenes drama of his challenge to President Donald Trump’s so-called Muslim ban.

The intent of Executive Order 13769 (titled “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States”) was to ban certain categories of people from seven countries from entering the United States. It was blocked in federal court, due to the efforts of Ferguson and his staff.

Ferguson received his undergraduate degree from the University of Washington. He says he didn’t have the grades to make it into UW’s law school because he was spending too much time playing chess. He spoke to a gathering of UW law students at William H. Gates Hall on March 11. UW School of Law Dean Kellye Testy introduced his talk.