Law Professor May Get Post In Washington

The White House is currently considering the nomination of John H. Ely, professor of Law, as general counsel to the Department of Transportation, a source close to Ely said yesterday.

Ely refused to comment on the possible nomination, but the source said that he will accept the post if he is offered it.

"He was certainly interested in the job when it was initially proposed, but his enthusiasm seems to be waning as time goes on," the source said.

The Ely nomination has been delayed, according to the source, "either because of inefficiency or because someone in the White House has an alternative candidate."

Coleman

But the source said that Secretary of Transportation William T. Coleman, who served with Ely on the staff of the Warren Commission, "is not reconsidering the nomination."

"Coleman's told many people that he wants Ely to have the job," the source said.

"It's not a friendship thing," he said. "Coleman just thinks Ely's a good lawyer."

Ely, who teaches Constitutional Law, will meet with Coleman today at Harvard in connection with a series of seminars on regulatory reform it is not known whether the two will discuss the upcoming nomination.

A Department of Transportation official yesterday called Ely "a very nice gentleman" and "an old friend of the secretary's," but refused to confirm reports that Coleman has suggested Ely's name for the general counsel post.

No Secret

At the Law School, however, several students said that the possibility of Ely's departure for Washington is "common knowledge."

"If this was a secret, they were certainly awfully sloppy about letting the news get around," one student said.