Jeanine Pirro facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jeanine Pirro
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Pirro in 2025
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| United States Attorney for the District of Columbia | |
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Acting
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| Assumed office May 14, 2025 |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Ed Martin |
| District Attorney of Westchester County | |
| In office January 1, 1994 – December 31, 2005 |
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| Preceded by | Carl Vergari |
| Succeeded by | Janet DiFiore |
| Judge of the Westchester County Court | |
| In office January 1, 1991 – May 1993 |
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| Preceded by | Francis Nicolai |
| Succeeded by | Daniel Angiolillo Peter Leavitt |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Jeanine Ferris
June 2, 1951 Elmira, New York, US |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Albert Pirro
(m. 1975; div. 2013) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University at Buffalo (BA) Albany Law School (JD) |
Jeanine Ferris Pirro (born June 2, 1951) is an American television host, author, and lawyer. Since May 2025, she has served as the acting United States attorney for the District of Columbia. A U.S. attorney is a top lawyer who represents the government in court. Pirro was also a judge, prosecutor (a lawyer who tries to prove someone is guilty of a crime), and politician in New York.
In 1990, Pirro was elected as a judge for the Westchester County Court in New York. Three years later, she became the Westchester County district attorney. She was the first woman to be elected to both of these jobs. As district attorney, she became well-known for her work on cases involving domestic abuse and crimes against older adults.
From 2011 to 2022, she hosted the show Justice with Judge Jeanine on Fox News Channel. She later became a co-host of the talk show The Five. Pirro has also written seven books.
After the 2020 presidential election, Pirro made claims about voting machine problems that were proven to be untrue. Because of these statements, she was named in lawsuits against Fox News. One case was settled for $787.5 million, and Fox News had to admit the statements made on air were false.
On May 8, 2025, President Donald Trump appointed her as the acting United States attorney for the District of Columbia.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Jeanine Ferris was born in Elmira, New York. Her parents were Lebanese-American. Her father sold mobile homes, and her mother was a department store model. Pirro decided she wanted to be a lawyer when she was only six years old.
She graduated from Notre Dame High School in Elmira in just three years. While in high school, she worked as an intern at the local District Attorney's office. Pirro earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University at Buffalo. In 1975, she received her law degree from Albany Law School, where she was an editor of the school's law review.
Career in Law
Assistant District Attorney
In 1975, Pirro became an Assistant District Attorney in Westchester County. At first, she handled smaller cases. In 1978, she became the first chief of the new Domestic Violence and Child Abuse Bureau. This part of the office focused on crimes related to family violence. Pirro was known for being a tough and determined chief.
County Court Judge
After working in the District Attorney's office, Pirro was elected as a judge for the Westchester County Court in November 1990. She was the first woman to hold this position.
District Attorney
In 1993, Pirro was elected as the Westchester County District Attorney, becoming the first woman to have that job as well. She was re-elected twice, in 1997 and 2001.
One of her most famous cases happened shortly after she took office. It involved the death of a wealthy woman named Anne Scripps Douglas. The case brought Pirro national attention. This led to her appearing on TV shows like Nightline and Larry King Live to talk about legal issues, especially during the O.J. Simpson trial.
While she was district attorney, Pirro was appointed by Governor George Pataki to lead a group studying domestic violence. The group's work led to new laws that gave more protection to victims.
Political Journey
Running for Office in New York
In 2005, Pirro announced she would run for the U.S. Senate against Hillary Clinton. During her announcement, she famously paused for 32 seconds after losing a page of her speech. This moment was seen as a difficult start for her campaign.
She described herself as a moderate Republican. She supported tax cuts but also had more liberal views on social issues. After a few months, she dropped out of the Senate race.
Campaign for Attorney General
In 2006, Pirro decided to run for New York Attorney General instead. She won the Republican nomination but lost the election to the Democratic candidate, Andrew Cuomo.
Television and Books
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Pirro has had a long career in television. She was a regular guest on many news and talk shows. She also appeared in the HBO series The Jinx, where she talked about a famous missing person case she investigated.
From 2008 to 2011, she hosted her own court show called Judge Jeanine Pirro on The CW network. The show won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2011 but was canceled due to low ratings.
Justice with Judge Jeanine
In 2011, Pirro began hosting Justice with Judge Jeanine on Fox News. The weekend show focused on the biggest legal stories of the week.
In 2019, her show was temporarily taken off the air after she made comments about U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar's hijab. Fox News condemned her statement. President Trump tweeted his support for Pirro, and her show returned two weeks later.
After the 2020 election, Pirro, along with other hosts, promoted untrue stories about voting machines. A voting machine company called Smartmatic sued Fox News and Pirro for making false statements. A judge later removed Pirro from the lawsuit, but an appeals court added her back as a defendant in 2023.
In 2022, Pirro left Justice to become a permanent co-host on the Fox News talk show The Five. She left Fox News in May 2025.
Author
Pirro has written seven books. Four are crime novels based on her experiences as a prosecutor. Her other three books are non-fiction and discuss politics. Her 2018 book, Liars, Leakers, and Liberals: The Case Against the Anti-Trump Conspiracy, was about Donald Trump's presidency.
Political Views
Pirro was a strong supporter of Donald Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign and throughout his presidency. She often used her TV show to defend him and criticize his opponents. She encouraged him to be bold and disruptive.
In 2017, she called for government agencies to be "cleansed" of people who were critical of the president. She also suggested that Trump had "fulfilled" a "biblical prophecy" by moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
On social issues, Pirro has described herself as a moderate. She has supported a woman's right to choose and rights for LGBT people, including civil unions. She also supports the Second Amendment, which gives people the right to own guns.
Personal Life
Jeanine Pirro was married to Albert Pirro from 1975 to 2013. They have two children. During their marriage, her husband faced legal problems and spent time in prison. He was officially pardoned by President Trump in 2021.
In 1997, People magazine named Pirro one of its "50 Most Beautiful People."
In her 2018 book, Pirro shared that she was diagnosed with cancer in 2012. She is a practicing Catholic.
