When news broke that Pierce Law's own Dean Hutson was attending President Barack Obama's Oval Office signing of the executive order closing the Guantanamo Bay prison, many of us were in awe. After the novelty wore off, people began asking questions. As rumors spread like wildfire through the school about the socks Dean Hutson wore while in the Oval Office, I sought the answer.

Dean Hutson was kind enough to meet with me shortly after returning from his whirlwind trip to Washington, D.C. We lounged in his tastefully appointed office as I asked how he came to be in the Oval Office for the signing of President Obama's Executive Order closing Guantanamo Bay. He told me that he has been passionately advocating for the closure of Guantanamo Bay for a number of years. He met with then-Senator Joe Biden in April 2007 here at Pierce Law about the issue. Some months later, then-Senator Obama met with some of the Dean's colleagues in Iowa to discuss the issue. What was an uphill and difficult battle changed the instant Barack Obama became President.

Perhaps unprecedented was the hour Dean Hutson and his colleagues spent with President Obama. Typically, the Presidential schedule measures in minutes instead of hours and each second is precious. After a short reception in the Roosevelt Room, the group trekked to the Oval Office for the signing ceremony. The Dean was placed conspicuously behind the President's chair, giving him a bird's-eye view of the President's trash can. With the Oval Office traditionally symbolizing American power, you might think even the trash can holds historical significance. Not true says the Dean, who remarked that it was akin to a cheap plastic container you'd find at a big box discount store.

During a lull in the ceremony, the President sat back in his chair and looked around the Oval Office. The room features a number of antique decorative plates. Without warning, the President Obama announced that he wasn't a "plate man" and would have to see about doing something different. Dean Hutson reported that the general consensus was he could decorate the office any way he likes...he is, after all, the President.

What socks did you wear and did the President see them? Laughing heartily, the Dean described an eclectic pair he received for his 60th birthday that included images of a "crotchety old judge, the scales of justice, and various Americana symbols." He thought the President might ask about them but apparently didn't take unilateral action to ensure such a result (i.e. showing a little leg).

Before moving from the Dean's comfy couch, I asked him to share an anecdote from his trip. He told me that just as he was leaving his office to fly to Washington, his assistant and everyone's favorite candy-lady, Linda Lugg, gave him a Pierce Law lapel pin. With a wink, Dean Hutson said, "I had it in my pocket when I was in the Oval Office, but I didn't leave with it."

When our new President happens across it, perhaps we'll see "Pierce Law" on President Obama's lapel.