Fannie Mae-No Politics (FNMA)

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Standards of Good Faith and Fair Dealing

Even though Lamberth’s scolding of government lawyers who show a lack of diligence or candor “may feel extremely cutting, and even derisive at times if you’re the recipient of his critique,” Leonnig observes, “if you’re the taxpayer or the employee or the everyday Joe whose life is affected by government policy or decision making, it would seem like the right standard.” For instance, for a decade, Lamberth prodded along the massive, lumbering Indian trust fund case, cementing his reputation as something of a maverick who demanded that government agencies live up to the standards of good faith and fair dealing that the public deserves. That case is finally inching its way toward resolution before another judge, and scores of Native Americans have expressed their gratitude to Judge Lamberth for taking the time to understand their story and for applying unrelenting pressure to see that justice was done.