Michael Mukasey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Michael Mukasey
Official portrait, 2007
81st United States Attorney General
In office November 9, 2007 – January 20, 2009
President	George W. Bush
Deputy	Craig S. Morford (acting) Mark Filip
Preceded by	Alberto Gonzales
Succeeded by	Eric Holder
Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
In office August 1, 2006 – September 9, 2006
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
In office March 12, 2000 – August 1, 2006
Preceded by	Thomas P. Griesa
Succeeded by	Kimba Wood
Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
In office November 9, 1987 – August 1, 2006
Appointed by	Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	Abraham David Sofaer
Succeeded by	Richard J. Sullivan
Personal details
Born	Michael Bernard Mukasey (1941-07-28) July 28, 1941 (age 84) New York City, New York, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Susan Mukasey
Children	2
Education	Columbia University (BA) Yale University (LLB)

Michael Bernard Mukasey (born July 28, 1941) is an American lawyer and judge. He served as the 81st Attorney General of the United States from 2007 to 2009. Before that, he was a U.S. district judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York from 1987 to 2006.

Mukasey studied history at Columbia University and earned a law degree from Yale Law School. He worked as a lawyer for many years, including four years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney. In 1987, President Ronald Reagan chose him to become a federal judge. He became the Chief Judge of his court in 2000 and retired in 2006.

President George W. Bush nominated Mukasey to be Attorney General after the previous Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales, resigned. Michael Mukasey was the second Jewish person to hold the position of U.S. Attorney General. He left office when President Bush's term ended in January 2009.

Early Life and Education

Michael Mukasey was born on July 28, 1941, in New York City. His father came to the U.S. in 1921 from a place near Baranavichy in Belarus. Michael graduated in 1959 from the Ramaz School, a private Jewish school in Manhattan. His wife, Susan, later taught at Ramaz, and both of their children also went to the school.

After high school, Mukasey went to Columbia University. He studied history and graduated in 1963 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He then attended Yale Law School, where he was an editor for the Yale Law Journal. He earned his law degree in 1967.

Early Career as a Lawyer

Michael Mukasey worked as a lawyer in New York City for 20 years. For four of those years, he was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. During this time, he worked with Rudolph Giuliani, who later became the Mayor of New York City.

Mukasey had a professional connection with Rudy Giuliani. He administered the oath of office to Giuliani when he became Mayor in 1994 and again in 1998.

Judicial Career

On July 27, 1987, President Ronald Reagan nominated Michael Mukasey to be a United States District Judge. This was for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan. The United States Senate approved his nomination on November 6, 1987. He officially became a judge on November 9, 1987, and started his work in 1988. He served as a judge for 18 years. From March 2000 to July 2006, he was the Chief Judge of the court.

During his time as a judge, Mukasey handled important cases. He oversaw the trial of people involved in a plot to bomb the United Nations and other places in Manhattan. This plot was discovered during the investigation of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

He also presided over a case involving Jose Padilla. Mukasey ruled that Padilla, an American citizen, could be held as an "enemy combatant" but still had the right to see his lawyers. He also handled a large lawsuit between developer Larry Silverstein and insurance companies after the destruction of the World Trade Center.

In June 2003, Senator Charles Schumer suggested Mukasey's name as a possible choice for President Bush to consider for the Supreme Court.

Retirement from the Bench

Federal judges usually serve for life, but in June 2006, Mukasey announced he would retire as a judge. He wanted to return to working as a private lawyer. On August 1, 2006, Judge Kimba Wood took over as Chief Judge of the Southern District. Mukasey's retirement became official on September 9, 2006. Soon after, he rejoined a law firm as a partner.

U.S. Attorney General

On September 17, 2007, President Bush nominated Michael Mukasey to become the U.S. Attorney General. This position is the chief law enforcement officer and lawyer for the U.S. government. At his nomination announcement, Mukasey said that the Justice Department's job is to help protect national security, keep children safe, support business, and protect the rights and freedoms of Americans.

Many people in the Senate hoped Mukasey would be quickly approved. However, during his confirmation hearings, some senators had concerns about his answers to questions about certain interrogation techniques. Despite these concerns, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved his nomination by a vote of 11 to 8. Two days later, on November 8, the full Senate confirmed Mukasey by a vote of 53–40. This was a very close vote for an Attorney General confirmation. He was sworn into office on November 9, 2007.

Notable Issues and Comments

Relationship with Rudy Giuliani

Michael Mukasey and Rudy Giuliani have been friends since the early 1970s. Mukasey promised that he would not be involved in any government cases that directly involved Giuliani.

Remarks about 9/11

In 2008, Mukasey spoke in London about the people charged with participating in the September 11 attacks. He said he hoped they would not be executed if found guilty, to avoid making them seem like heroes. Later, in 2012, he clarified that his comment was meant humorously. He then stated that if the detainees were found guilty, they should indeed be executed.

Defense of Attorney-Client Privilege

In April 2018, Mukasey wrote an article in The Wall Street Journal. In it, he criticized the government's use of a search warrant to look through a lawyer's private legal records. He argued that this could harm the important rule of attorney-client privilege, which protects confidential conversations between lawyers and their clients.

See also

• List of Jewish American jurists
• List of Jewish United States Cabinet members