President Barack Obama’s nominee to head the Office of a Legal Counsel will teach a seminar titled “Sexuality, Reproduction and the Law” this fall at Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law, reports The BLT.

Dawn Johnsen (Indiana University)

Dawn Johnsen, who was nominated in January and moved to Washington over the summer, will commute weekly to Bloomington, Ind., while she waits for confirmation, Debbie O’Leary, a spokeswoman for the law school, told The BLT

News of the course, which Johnsen has taught before, was first reported on Blue Indiana, a left-leaning blog.

According to the course description, students will “explore governmental regulation of sexuality and reproduction in the United States. We will focus on regulation aimed at sexual activity, reproduction and sexual orientation, with particular attention to the constitutional protections afforded in those areas.”

As The BLT notes, the course will likely touch on the very subject — abortion — that has led Repubicans to filibuster her  nomination. From 1988 to 1993, Johnsen was legal director of the abortion-rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America from 1988 to 1993. She authored an amicus brief in the major Supreme Court case Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992).

The BLT asked what would happen if the Senate were to confirm Johnsen while she’s teaching. O’Leary said the law school’s dean, Lauren Robel, and Johnsen have been working on back-up plans. If she’s not confirmed before the fall break, Johnsen could still likely complete the semester.

Jonhsen’s nomination was reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 19.

The Justice Department Civil Rights Division is investigating the murder of late-term abortion doctor George Tiller, the Justice Department announced today.

The division will work with state and local authorities in assessing whether the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which protects reproductive health care providers, was violated in the shooting death of Tiller at a Kansas church Sunday. Local authorities have charged Scott Roeder with the murder.

“The Department of Justice will work tirelessly to determine the full involvement of any and all actors in this horrible crime, and to ensure that anyone who played a role in the offense is prosecuted to the full extent of federal law,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Loretta King in a statement. “We will conduct a thorough investigation that will complement and build upon the fine work of the Sedgwick County District Attorney and other state and local law enforcement agencies.”

We previously reported that Attorney General Eric Holder ordered the U.S. Marshals Service to protect abortion facilities.

Here is the text of Attorney General Eric Holder’s statement on the murder Sunday of Wichita, Kan., abortion provider Dr. George Tiller, who for nearly two decades has been a target of militant anti-abortion protesters:

STATEMENT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL ON MURDER OF DOCTOR GEORGE TILLER

        “The murder of Doctor George Tiller is an abhorrent act of violence, and his family is in our thoughts and prayers at this tragic moment.  Federal law enforcement is coordinating with local law enforcement officials in Kansas on the investigation of this crime, and I have directed the United States Marshals Service to offer protection to other appropriate people and facilities around the nation.  The Department of Justice will work to bring the perpetrator of this crime to justice.  As a precautionary measure, we will also take appropriate steps to help prevent any related acts of violence from occurring.”