Pat Meehan
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 7th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Joe Sestak
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
In office September 17, 2001 – July 15, 2008
Nominated by	George W. Bush
Preceded by	Michael Stiles[1]
Succeeded by	Michael Levy[a]
District Attorney of Delaware County
In office January 9, 1996 – September 17, 2001
Preceded by	William Ryan
Succeeded by	Patricia Holsten[2]
Personal details
Born	(1955-10-20) October 20, 1955 (age 56) Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania[3][broken citation]
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Carolyn Meehan[3][broken citation]
Residence	Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania[4]
Alma mater	Bowdoin College Temple Law School
Religion	Roman Catholic[3][broken citation]
a. ^ Laurie Magid served as Acting United States Attorney until Levy's appointment was confirmed by the Senate.

Patrick Leo "Pat" Meehan (born October 20, 1955) is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district since January 3, 2011. The district includes parts of Delaware County, Chester, Montgomery Counties, Lancaster County, and Berks County. He succeeded Democrat Joe Sestak, who ran unsuccessfully for the United States Senate.

Congressman Meehan sits on the Transportation and Infrastructure, Oversight and Government Reform, and Homeland Security Committees. On the Homeland Security Committee, Meehan chairs the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence.

A graduate of Bowdoin College and Temple University, Meehan previously served as United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (2001–2008) and as district attorney of Delaware County, Pennsylvania (1996–2001).

Early life and education[link]

Born and raised in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania by his parents Leo and Julia, Pat Meehan attended Bowdoin College in Maine and graduated in 1978 with a Bachelor’s of Arts (B.A.). While at Bowdoin, he was a standout hockey player and went on to spend two years in the National Hockey League (NHL) as an official. Meehan attended Temple Law School in Philadelphia, and graduated with his Juris Doctorate (J.D.) in 1986.

Pre-congressional career[link]

Early legal career[link]

After college he went to work as an associate at the law firm Dilworth Paxson LLP.

Political activism[link]

Meehan’s career in public service and politics began in 1979 with the Philadelphia mayoral race working for Republican candidate David Marston. A year later he worked on Roy Zimmerman's campaign for Pennsylvania Attorney General. Meehan went on to serve as Special Counsel to Senator Arlen Specter, and later as campaign manager for Senator Rick Santorum, Philadelphia District Attorney Ron Castille, and State Attorney General Ernie Preate.^[5]

District Attorney[link]

In 1995 he was elected the District Attorney (D.A.) of Delaware County as a Republican. During Meehan's tenure as DA, his staff prosecuted several high profile cases including the Du Pont Murder Trial, (a case involving the murder of Olympic wrestler David Schultz by his millionaire benefactor John Eleuthère du Pont) and the 1996 murder of a 22 year-old college student named Aimee Willard (who was abducted from Route 476 and found in an abandoned lot in North Philadelphia).^[5]

While serving as D.A., Meehan set up the Special Victims Unit for Domestic Violence in Delaware County, allowing prosecutions to place without the victims having to testify in open-court and offering protection from the abusers.^{[citation needed]} As D.A. he also focused on protecting youth by expanding the Youth Aid Panel program for first time offenders and creating a truancy project to limit youth-related crime during the day. Meehan established the United States Department of Justice’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) in Pennsylvania. The ICAC is a special unit of detectives that investigate online predators on the web and bring them to justice; it has become a model across the country.

U.S. Attorney[link]

Pat Meehan became the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on September 17, 2001, six days after the September 11, 2001 attacks. He was appointed by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the United States Senate. Meehan headed an office of over 200 lawyers and staffed backed up by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Office. As U.S. Attorney, Meehan has made terrorism, gang-crime, child internet-safety, and public-corruption priorities for his criminal division. Public-corruption in Philadelphia in particular was brought to the spotlight in 2003 when a FBI electronic listening device was found in the Philadelphia Mayor’s Office.

In light of the 9-11 Attacks, Meehan formed the Anti-Terrorism Task Force (ATTF), later renamed the Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council (ATAC) in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania to evaluate and prevent future terrorist attacks. This initiative was done in partnership with local, state and federal law-enforcement and emergency responders. The ATAC has led large-scale table-top and field exercises on biological attacks and the poisoning of the food-supply in partnership with Saint Joseph’s University in order to help Eastern Pennsylvania to prepare for terrorist attacks.^{[6][broken citation]}

Recognizing the expansion of gang-related activity in the eastern part of Pennsylvania, Meehan sought a $2.5 million dollar Department of Justice grant to fight and prevent gang violence for the region. The unique “Route 222 Corridor Anti-Gang Initiative” brought together elected officials, federal, state and local law-enforcement with community groups to fight gangs in a rural area unfamiliar with big-city gang violence. The money was divided among enforcement, prevention and rehabilitation. The program aimed not only to increase arrests, but also to fund school programs and community centers to educate youth about the alternatives to gang life.^{[6][broken citation]}

Continuing the work he began while he was Delaware County D.A., Meehan continued to make child safety on the Internet a priority, sponsoring Internet safety training seminars with Web Wise Kids and visiting local schools. Meehan’s office has prosecuted sub-standard nursing homes and elder care facilities, and nefarious lenders who offered ill-advised loans to disadvantaged homeowners. (Bio) The U.S. Attorney’s Office under Meehan has been nationally recognized for its work in the field of health-care fraud. The office has won more than half a billion dollars in settlements against some of the largest pharmaceutical companies and pharmacy benefit managers, ensuring better self-policing and oversight by the industry.^{[7][broken citation]}

Public corruption cases

Though he has been active in a wide variety of areas, it has been several high-profile public corruption cases that have put Meehan in the headlines. Philadelphia is well known for its “pay to play” culture that rewards patronage rather than merit. Since taking office, Meehan and his office have been actively prosecuting corrupt Philadelphia city officials. Meehan has said, "Pay to play cannot be standard operating procedure in city government.^[8]”

This was brought to national attention on October 7, 2003 when Philadelphia Police conducted a sweep of Mayor John F. Street’s office and found an electronic listening device. It was later discovered that the “bug” had been planted by the FBI as part of a city corruption investigation. Street was never charged in the investigation. City officials and the mayor were outraged, especially with the timing coinciding with the Philadelphia Mayoral Election on November 4, 2003. Street’s campaign spokesman went so far as to accuse the federal government of attempting to influence the election (which Street ended up winning anyway).^[9] Meehan was applauded in the press and in the city for his handling of the situation, which resulted in twelve indictments including Street confidant Ronald White (who later died before he could stand trial) and city treasurer Corey Kemp who was convicted and sentenced to ten years in federal prison.^[10]

Other city officials prosecuted by Meehan’s office included former city councilman Rick Mariano (who was sentenced to six and half years in federal prison for accepting bribes and attempting to influence city contracts), the President of the Independence Seaport Museum John S. Carter (who was sentenced to 15 years for cheating the museum from $1.5 million), Montgomery County accountant Denis Shusterman (for embezzling $10 million, he received a 14 year sentence),^[11] and State Senator Vincent Fumo (who has recently been convicted on 139 count indictment including fraud, conspiracy and obstruction of justice charges carrying a ten-year sentence).^[12]

Private practice[link]

On July 7, 2008, Meehan announced to his staff that he would be stepping down from his position. On July 16, 2008, Meehan announced that he was joining the Philadelphia law firm of Conrad O'Brien Gellman & Rohn.^[13]

U.S. House of Representatives[link]

2010 election[link]

Meehan began his campaign for Pennsylvania governor in 2008.^[14] On August 7, 2009, however, he announced that he was ending his exploratory bid and would instead run for Congress. Reports indicated that another candidate, Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett, was too far ahead of Meehan in fund-raising and endorsements.^[15]

Meehan was elected with over 55% of the vote to an open seat in Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district in 2010.^[16] The seat was being vacated by Joe Sestak, who defeated U.S. Senator Arlen Specter in 2010 in the Democratic Party primary, but lost to Republican Pat Toomey in the general election. Meehan ran unopposed for the Republican Party nomination in the May 18, 2010 Republican Primary and defeated Democratic State Representative Bryan Lentz and independent American Constitution Party candidate Jim Schneller in the general election.^[17]

Fraudulent nominating petitions investigation

To appear on the primary election ballot a candidate for Congress in Pennsylvania is required to collect valid signatures of 1,000 registered voters in the congressional district. When evidence of fraud in some of Meehan's petitions was discovered by the Meehan campaign, Meehan alerted the Delaware County District Attorney. Michael Green, the District Attorney and Meehan supporter, turned over the matter to the office of the Pennsylvania Attorney General. Because the Attorney General, Tom Corbett, is the Republican candidate for governor, Lentz requested that the United States Department of Justice take over the investigation.^[18] Paul Summers, a Republican campaign operative and volunteer, was charged with seven counts of forgery and seven counts of making false signatures.^[19] He was convicted on seven of the charges after pleading guilty as part of a plea-bargain deal.^[20]

Tenure[link]

Meehan was sworn in on January 5, 2011. He was appointed to serve as one of just three freshman members on the House Republican Steering Committee, and is one of a select few House freshman to chair a subcommittee. He has joined the Republican Main Street Partnership.^[21]

As a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, Meehan chairs the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence. Chairman Meehan has held hearings to investigate issues such as Iran's ties to terrorism and the risks posed by extremists in Pakistan.^[22]

Meehan voted to repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. As far as fiscal policy, he voted for the Budget Control Act of 2011,^[23] Cut, Cap and Balance Act,^[24] and voted to defund NPR.^[25] Among bills that became law, he voted for the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act^[26] and to extend the Patriot Act.^[27]

Meehan has introduced the Jump Start for Job Creators Act, legislation that would encourage entrepreneurs to create jobs by increasing the maximum tax deduction for small business start-up expenses.^[28] Meehan has led the effort to preserve funding for the V-22 Osprey.,^[29] an advanced military aircraft manufactured in Meehan's district.^[30]

Committee assignments[link]

• Committee on Homeland Security
  • Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence (Chairman)
  • Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies
• Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
  • Subcommittee on TARP, Financial Services and Bailouts of Public and Private Programs
  • Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement Reform
• United States House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • United States House Transportation Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials
  • United States House Transportation Subcommittee on Aviation
  • United States House Transportation Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management

Personal life[link]

Meehan, his wife Carolyn and their three sons live in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania.^{[31][broken citation]}

See also[link]

• United States Attorneys
• John Eleuthère du Pont
• Aimee Willard
• Larry Mendte
• John F. Street
• Vincent Fumo

References[link]

External links[link]

• Congressman Pat Meehan official U.S. House site
• Pat Meehan for Congress official campaign site
• Biography at WhoRunsGov.com at The Washington Post
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Congressional profile at GovTrack
• Congressional profile at OpenCongress
• Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
• Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
• Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs

Eric Holder
82nd United States Attorney General
Incumbent
Assumed office February 3, 2009
President	Barack Obama
Deputy	David Ogden James Cole
Preceded by	Michael Mukasey
Deputy Attorney General of the United States
In office June 13, 1997 – January 20, 2001
President	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Jamie Gorelick
Succeeded by	Larry Thompson
United States Attorney for the District of Columbia
In office October 1993 – June 13, 1997
Nominated by	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	J. Ramsey Johnson[1]
Associate Judge on Superior Court of the District of Columbia
In office October 1988 – October 1993
Nominated by	Ronald Reagan
Personal details
Born	Eric Himpton Holder, Jr. (1951-01-21) January 21, 1951 (age 61) Bronx, New York, U.S.
Political party	Democratic Party
Spouse(s)	Sharon Malone
Children	Maya Brooke Eric
Alma mater	Columbia University (A.B.) Columbia Law School (J.D.)
Profession	Attorney at Law
Religion	Episcopal

Eric Himpton Holder, Jr. (born January 21, 1951) is the 82nd and current Attorney General of the United States and the first black American to hold the position,^[2] serving under President Barack Obama.

Holder previously served as a judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and a United States Attorney. In that office he prosecuted Congressman Dan Rostenkowski (Democrat, Illinois) for corruption charges related to his role in the Congressional Post Office scandal. Later, he was Deputy Attorney General of the United States and worked at the law firm of Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C. He was senior legal advisor to then-Senator Barack Obama during Obama's presidential campaign and one of three members of Obama's vice-presidential selection committee.

Early life[link]

Eric Himpton Holder, Jr. was born in the Bronx, New York, to parents with roots in Barbados.^{[3][4][dead link][5]} Holder's father, Eric Himpton Holder, Sr. (1905–1970) was born in Saint Joseph, Barbados and arrived in the United States at the age of 11.^[6][7] He later became a real estate broker. His mother, Miriam, was born in New Jersey, while his maternal grandparents were immigrants from Saint Philip, Barbados.^[7] Holder grew up in East Elmhurst, Queens, and attended public school until the age of 10. When entering the 4th grade he was selected to participate in a program for intellectually gifted students.^[8] In 1969, he graduated from Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan and attended Columbia University, where he played freshman basketball and was co-captain of his team. He earned a A.B. degree in American history in 1973.^[9] Holder received his Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School, graduating in 1976. He worked for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund during his first summer and the United States Attorney during his second summer.^[8]

Career[link]

After graduating from law school, Holder joined the U.S. Justice Department's new Public Integrity Section during an interval lasting from 1976 to 1988. During his time there, he assisted in the prosecution of Democratic Congressman John Jenrette for bribery discovered in the Abscam sting operation.^[10] In 1988, President Ronald Reagan appointed Holder to serve as a judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.^[11]

Holder stepped down from the bench in 1993 to accept an appointment as United States Attorney for the District of Columbia from President Bill Clinton. He was the first black American U.S. Attorney in that office.^[8] At the beginning of his tenure, he oversaw the conclusion of the corruption case against Dan Rostenkowski, part of the Congressional Post Office scandal.^[10] He was a U.S. Attorney until his elevation to Deputy Attorney General in 1997. Holder also served on The George Washington University's Board of Trustees in 1996 and 1997.

Deputy Attorney General[link]

In 1997, after the retirement of Jamie Gorelick, Clinton nominated Holder to be the Deputy Attorney General under Janet Reno. Holder was confirmed several months later in the Senate by a unanimous vote.^[12] During his confirmation hearing, Holder's opposition to the death penalty was questioned, but he pledged his intention to cooperate with the current laws and Reno, saying, "I am not a proponent of the death penalty, but I will enforce the law as this Congress gives it to us."^[13] Holder was the first black American to serve in that position.^[8] Holder briefly served as Acting Attorney General under President George W. Bush until the Senate confirmed Bush's nominee John Ashcroft.^[14]

As Deputy Attorney General, Holder advised Reno about how far to go in the Justice Department's use of the Independent Counsel statute. Reno made the decision to permit Kenneth Starr to expand his investigation into the Lewinsky affair, leading to Clinton's impeachment.^[8]

In his final days with the Clinton administration, Holder was involved with Clinton's last-minute pardon of fugitive and Democratic contributor Marc Rich. Between November 2000 and January 2001, Jack Quinn, Rich's lawyer and former White House Counsel from 1995 to 1996, had been contacting Holder, testing the waters for the political viability of a presidential pardon. Quinn asked Holder for advice as to how he should proceed. According to Rich's attorney, Holder advised Quinn to circumvent standard procedures by submitting the pardon petition directly to the White House.^[15]

After presenting his case to Holder in a November phone call and a last minute January 17 letter, Quinn arranged a phone call between the White House and Holder, asking the Deputy Attorney General to share his opinion on the Rich pardon. Holder gave Clinton a "neutral, leaning towards favorable" opinion of the pardon.^[8]

Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder opened an Interagency Working Group meeting of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders hosted by the Department of Justice on October 18, 2000.

During his February testimonies before the House Government Reform Committee and Senate Judiciary Committee, Holder argued his phone call was not intended as a formal Justice Department blessing of the pardon, saying, "my interaction with the White House, I did not view as a recommendation. because I didn't have the ability to look at all the materials that had been vetted through the way we normally vet materials."^[16] He also did not believe his opinion would be interpreted as a go-ahead for the pardon. "What I said to the White House counsel ultimately was that I was neutral on this because I didn't have a factual basis to make a determination as to whether or not Mr. Quinn's contentions were in fact accurate, whether or not there had been a change in the law, a change in the applicable Justice Department regulations, and whether or not that was something that would justify the extraordinary grant of a pardon."^[17] An investigation led by House Government Reform Committee chairman Dan Burton concluded in a 2003 report covering 177 Clinton pardons that Holder had played a significant role in facilitating the Rich pardon, first by recommending the well-connected Jack Quinn to Rich's legal representatives, by failing to fully inform prosecutors of the pending pardon, and by eventually delivering a "neutral leaning favorable" opinion to Clinton from a position of authority.^[18] Holder has expressed some regret over his handling of the Rich pardon, stating "I wish I had done some things differently with regard to the Marc Rich matter. Specifically, I wish that I had ensured that the Department of Justice was more fully informed and involved in this pardon process", and called his own actions a "mistake".^[19]

Official photo as Deputy Attorney General, ca. 2000

Holder was also involved in Clinton's decision to reduce the criminal sentences of 16 members of the Boricua Popular Army, an organization that has been categorized by the FBI as a terrorist organization. The clemency request was initially opposed in 1996 by U.S. Pardons Attorney Margaret Love. When Holder was elevated to Deputy Attorney General in 1997, he was asked to reexamine the issue by three members of Congress. In July 1999, Holder recommended clemency to Clinton with a report from then U.S. Pardons Attorney Roger Adams that neither supported nor opposed clemency. A month later, Clinton granted clemency. According to The Hartford Courant, the grant of clemency was unusual because it was opposed by the FBI, the federal prosecutor and the victims. According to the newspaper, it was also unusual because before the commutations, the Boricua Popular Army members were not required to repudiate their actions and were not asked to provide any information concerning the whereabouts of Victor Manuel Gerena, a co-conspirator and one of the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, or the millions of dollars stolen by the group in a 1983 robbery of Wells Fargo in West Hartford, Connecticut.^[20]

Private practice[link]

From 2001 until he became Attorney General, Holder worked as an attorney at Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C., representing clients such as Merck and the National Football League.^[3][8] He represented the NFL during its dog fighting investigation against Michael Vick.^[21]

In 2004, Holder helped negotiate an agreement with the Justice Department for Chiquita Brands International in a case that involved Chiquita's payment of "protection money" to the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, a group on the U.S. government's list of terrorist organizations.^[22][23] In the agreement, Chiquita's officials pleaded guilty and paid a fine of $25 million. Holder represented Chiquita in the civil action that grew out of this criminal case.^[23]

In March 2004, Holder and Covington & Burling were hired by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich to act as a special investigator to the Illinois Gaming Board. The Gaming Board had voted 4-1 earlier that month to allow a casino to be built in Rosemont, Illinois. That vote defied the recommendation of the board's staff, which had raised concerns about alleged organized-crime links to the Rosemont casino's developer. The move had also raised concerns that the governor had named his close friend and fund-raiser, Christopher Kelly, as a "special government agent" to be involved in official state negotiations about the casino. Holder's legal work for the State of Illinois never materialized when the board reversed its decision and refused to hire Kelly. The investigation was subsequently canceled on May 18, 2004.^[24]

The firm represented Guantanamo inmates but Holder "never participated directly in the firm's Guantanamo work", and is not expected to recuse himself from matters pertaining to it.^[25]

While D.C. v. Heller was being heard by the Supreme Court in 2008, Holder joined the Reno-led amicus brief, which urged the Supreme Court to uphold Washington, D.C.'s handgun ban and said the position of the Department of Justice, from Franklin Roosevelt through Clinton, was that the Second Amendment does not protect an individual right to keep and bear arms for purposes unrelated to a State’s operation of a well-regulated militia.^[26] Holder said that overturning the 1976 law "opens the door to more people having more access to guns and putting guns on the streets."^[27]

In 2008, Holder represented the wife of Robert Wone, victim of a controversial and unsolved 2006 murder.^[28]

Holder speaking at a press conference on Guantanamo Bay detainees

In late 2007, Holder joined then-United States Senator Barack Obama's presidential campaign as a senior legal advisor. He served on Obama's vice presidential selection committee.^[11]

Holder favors closing the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, although he said in 2002 that the detainees are not technically entitled to Geneva Convention protections.^[29][30] He is opposed to the Bush administration's implementation of the Patriot Act, saying it is "bad ultimately for law enforcement and will cost us the support of the American people."^[31][32] He has been critical of Enhanced interrogation techniques and the NSA warrantless surveillance program, accusing the Bush administration of a "disrespect for the rule of law... [that is] not only wrong, it is destructive in our struggle against terrorism."^[33]

Attorney General of the United States[link]

On December 1, 2008, Obama announced that Holder would be his nominee for Attorney General.^[34][35] He was formally nominated on January 20, 2009 and approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on January 28.^[36][37] Following his confirmation by the full Senate on February 2, 2009, he became the first African-American Attorney General of the United States. His installation took place on March 27, 2009 at the Lisner Auditorium of the George Washington University.

During his confirmation hearings in the Senate, Holder agreed with Senator Patrick Leahy, Democrat of Vermont, that a technique used by U.S. interrogators under the Bush administration known as waterboarding is torture.^[38] Holder was confirmed by a 75-21 vote on February 2, 2009.^[39]

Holder gave a speech on race relations on February 18, 2009, in the midst of Black History Month. "Though race-related issues continue to occupy a significant portion of our political discussion and though there remain many unresolved racial issues in this nation, we average Americans simply do not talk enough with each other about race," he said.^[40] The speech stirred mild controversy, with some reacting favorably to Holder's comments and others sharply criticizing them.^[41][42] Obama rebuked Holder's comments, saying that “I think it’s fair to say that if I had been advising my attorney general, we would have used different language”.^[43]

When questioned about weapons regulations during a news conference to announce the arrest of Mexican drug cartel members, Holder stated that the Obama administration would seek to re-institute the expired Assault Weapons Ban, which he strongly supports.^[44][45]

After the U.S. government filed suit against the Swiss bank UBS AG, whom Holder had represented during his time in private practice, the attorney general recused himself from all legal matters concerning the bank, which stands accused of conspiracy in U.S. tax fraud.^[46][47]

On April 1, 2009, Holder announced that he had ordered the dismissal of the indictment against former Senator Ted Stevens on corruption charges. Stevens had been found guilty, but hadn't been sentenced; Holder's action effectively vacated Stevens' conviction. Holder was reportedly very angry that the prosecutors had withheld potentially exculpatory evidence from Stevens' attorneys. After the prosecutors had been held in contempt of court for failing to turn over required documents, Holder replaced the entire trial team. Soon afterward, the Justice Department discovered a previously undocumented interview with Bill Allen, the prosecution's star witness. In this interview, Allen gave statements that directly contradicted his testimony at trial, including a claim that he'd been asked to get a note for a repair bill on his house. By nearly all accounts, Holder wanted to send a message that he would not tolerate any behavior he deemed to be prosecutorial misconduct.^[48]

Holder presented friend and predecessor Janet Reno, Attorney General under the Clinton Administration, the American Judicature Society's (AJS) Justice Award on April 17, 2009. The award is the highest given by the AJS, and recognizes significant contributions toward improvements in the administration of justice within the United States.^[49]

On November 13, 2009, Holder announced that accused September 11 attack conspirators Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Ramzi Bin al-Shibh, Walid bin Attash, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali and Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi would be transferred from the military commissions system to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York for trial. He also expressed confidence that an impartial jury would be found "to ensure a fair trial in New York".^[50]

Holder told the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 14, 2010, "No final decision has been made about the forum which Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his co-defendants will be tried. As I said at the outset, this is a very close call."^[51]

However, in early April 2011 Holder announced that the 9/11 co-conspirators will be tried by a military tribunal. "Holder said that he believes the trials could have been held in New York or Virginia, but that Congress imposed restrictions on where the trial could be held, taking the decision from his hands." ^[52]

In May 2010 Holder expressed "concerns" about "Arizona’s tough new immigration law", saying that it might "lead to racial profiling". Holder was criticized for his testimony during a House Judiciary Committee hearing, when he said that he had "not read" the Arizona law and that he had formed his opinions on the basis of news reports.^[53][54][55] In July 2010, Holder stated that the Justice Department filed suit against the Arizona law because it is preempted by federal law. Holder was quoted as saying, "I understand, first off, the frustration of the people of Arizona and the concerns that they have with regard to the amount of illegal immigration that occurs, but the solution that the Arizona legislature came up with is inconsistent with our federal Constitution."^[56]

In July 2010, Holder flew to Kampala, Uganda, to address the Heads of State Summit of the African Union, where he discussed the Obama Administration's priorities with regards to Africa and the terrorist bombings in Kampala during the World Cup.^[57][58]

Before the November 2010 elections, Holder stated that he planned to prosecute people in California if they possess marijuana even if Californian voters passed a proposition legalizing marijuana (Proposition 19).^[59] Proposition 19 was ultimately defeated.

After the United States diplomatic cables leak in December 2010, Holder said that "We have an active, ongoing, criminal investigation with regard to this matter," Holder said. "We are not in a position as yet to announce the result of that investigation, but the investigation is--is ongoing. To the extent that we can find anybody who was involved in the breaking of American law and who has put at risk the assets and the people that I have described, they will be held responsible," Holder said. "They will be held accountable." Holder's comments leave open a crucial question, which is whether the investigators are looking at how WikiLeaks obtained the documents (not unlike probing a news organization's source), or if they're looking at whether WikiLeaks staffers violated criminal law and should be the ones indicted.^[60]

In March 2011 Holder left open the possibility that the Guantánamo Bay terrorist prison camp might live on beyond President Obama’s first term. Asked in a congressional hearing whether the prison would be closed by November 2012, Holder said: "I don’t know". He said the Justice Department has established a task force to look at each of the 172 detainees being held at the Guantánamo prison to address how they should be dealt with. Holder’s comments come just weeks after CIA Director Leon Panetta told a Senate panel that Osama bin Laden would probably be shipped to and held at the Guantánamo Bay facility if he were captured.^[61]

Controversies[link]

In May 2009, Holder's Department of Justice ended a civil suit originally brought by the Bush administration against the New Black Panther Party, its chairman, and two of its members for voter intimidation due to their conduct during the 2008 election. Two members of the party had stood outside a polling station during the election in paramilitary uniforms, one of them carrying a billy club. Although none of the defendants appeared in court to contest the charges, the department of justice voluntarily dropped the charges against the party, its chairman, and one of the two members who had stood outside the polling station, and obtained a narrow injunction against the other. While the Department of Justice has contended that the charges were dropped due to lack of evidence, several of its current and former members have stated that Holder's Department of Justice is unwilling to prosecute minorities for civil rights violations.^[62] This accusation has been made most notably by J. Christian Adams, who in May 2010 resigned his post at the Department of Justice out of protest,^[63] and by his former supervisor Christopher Coates.^[64]

J. Christian Adams and former Bush appointee Hans A. von Spakovsky have also accused the civil rights division in Holder's Department of Justice of inactivity and wastefulness. According to Adams and von Spakovsky, although the voting section has hired dozens of new attorneys, the number of actual cases filed has declined sharply since Holder took office, and many of its employees spend their time "playing computer Solitaire, watching videos, and venting at the lack of activity."^[65][66]

During a meeting with a House subcommittee discussing this and other issues, Holder has argued that the behavior from the New Black Panther Party was not comparable to historical voter intimidation against minorities, stating "When you compare what people endured in the South in the ’60s to try to get the right to vote for African Americans, to compare what people subjected to that with what happened in Philadelphia… I think does a great disservice to people who put their lives on the line for my people."^[67] Critics have interpreted this comment as evidence of racial bias on Holder's part, with James Taranto of the Wall Street Journal arguing "If he approaches the job with the attitude that any group smaller than all Americans is 'my people,' he is the wrong man for the position."^[68]

Holder has faced additional controversy for the Obama Administration's decision that his Department of Justice would no longer enforce certain provisions of the Defense of Marriage Act, which Representative Frank Wolf has described as a "decision to abandon your duty to defend this law."^[69]

House oversight committee Chairman Darrell Issa and Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley sent Holder a letter in May 2011 asking for details about Operation Fast and Furious, the ATF operation that sent thousands of guns to Mexican drug cartels. Tax money may have been used to purchase the guns ^[70][71] Grassley and Issa, "have urged Holder to cooperate and turn over subpoenaed records that would reveal the scope of the government coverup." ^[72] In October 2011, documents were released^[73] that indicated Holder was sent memos in regards to Operation Fast and Furious in 2010,^[74] contradicting Holder's sworn testimony before the House Judiciary Committee in which he said he was unaware of Operation Fast and Furious until April 2011.^[75][76] In April 2012, Issa announced that his committee was drafting a Contempt of Congress resolution against Holder in response to the committee being "stonewalled by the Justice Department."^[77]

In response, Lamar Smith, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to President Obama, requesting the appointment of an independent special counsel to investigate whether Holder committed perjury by lying to the committee while under oath. ^[78][79][80]

Texas governor and Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry has written in the Washington Times that, "It is time for Mr. Holder to go." because of his role in Operation Fast and Furious. Perry stated that, "America simply cannot tolerate an attorney general who arms the very criminals he is supposed to protect us from".^[81]

Personal life[link]

Holder is married to Dr. Sharon Malone, an obstetrician; the couple have three children.^[82] Malone's sister was Vivian Malone Jones, famous for her part in the Stand in the Schoolhouse Door which led to integration at the University of Alabama.^[83] Holder has been involved with various mentoring programs for inner-city youths. He is also an avid basketball fan,^[84] and the uncle of former NBA All-Star Jeff Malone.^[21]

Awards[link]

In June 2009 the Government of Barbados announced that it would begin a project to determine the first 100 Great Barbadians which would be selected among the public of Barbados. At the announcement of the project it was announced that Eric Holder was the first candidate to be nominated toward the final list.^[85]

On May 16, 2010, Eric Holder presented the commencement address at Boston University, for both the All-University Ceremony and the School of Law. In addition, he was presented with an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree.^[86] On May 19, 2009, Holder was chosen by his alma mater, Columbia College, to be its Class Day Speaker.^[87]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• "Black U.S. Attorney Brings an Indictment Against Powerful House Committee Chairman". Jet (FindArticles.com). June 20, 1994. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_n7_v86/ai_15480292. Retrieved July 1, 2008. 
• Crabtree, Susan (April 28, 1997). "A New Sheriff at Justice". Insight on the News (FindArticles.com). http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1571/is_n15_v13/ai_19340518. Retrieved July 1, 2008. 
• Haywood, Richette L. (September 1994). "First Black U.S. Attorney in D.C.". Ebony (FindArticles.com). http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1077/is_n11_v49/ai_15837298. Retrieved July 1, 2008. 
• Longstreth, Andrew (June 2008). "Making History". The American Lawyer. http://www.law.com/jsp/tal/PubArticleTAL.jsp?id=1202421743636. Retrieved November 18, 2008. 
• Randolph, Laura B. (January 1999). "Power Couples". Ebony (FindArticles.com). http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1077/is_3_54/ai_53475509. Retrieved July 1, 2008. 
• Lichtblau, Eric; David Johnston (December 1, 2008). "Pardon Is Back in Focus for the Justice Nominee". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/02/us/politics/02holder.html. Retrieved December 2, 2008. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Eric Holder

• Profile at the United States Department of Justice
• Eric Holder at WhoRunsGov at The Washington Post
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Eric Holder collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• Works by or about Eric Holder in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• Justice Department Bio of Holder as Deputy Attorney General at the Wayback Machine
• Answers.com
• Columbia University
• Covington & Burling
• The History Makers
• Homeland Security Policy Institute
• Eric Holder's federal campaign contribution report at NewsMeat
• Holder Speech at Department of Justice African American History Month Program Feb. 18, 2009
• Authenticated text, audio, video of Eric Holder Speech at the Department of Justice African American History Month Program AmericanRhetoric.com
• Attorney General Holder Speech to the African Union Summit July 2010
• Will Eric Holder Be the Anti-Torture Hero? by Andy Worthington, The Huffington Post, July 12, 2009

v t e United States Attorneys General Randolph Bradford Lee Lincoln Breckinridge Rodney Pinkney Rush Wirt Berrien Taney Butler Grundy Gilpin Crittenden Legaré Nelson Mason Clifford Toucey Johnson Crittenden Cushing Black Stanton Bates Speed Stanbery Evarts Hoar Akerman Williams Pierrepont Taft Devens MacVeagh Brewster Garland Miller Olney Harmon McKenna Griggs Knox Moody Bonaparte Wickersham McReynolds Gregory Palmer Daugherty Stone Sargent W D Mitchell Cummings Murphy Jackson Biddle T C Clark McGrath McGranery Brownell Rogers Kennedy Katzenbach W R Clark J N Mitchell Kleindienst Richardson Saxbe Levi Bell Civiletti Smith Meese Thornburgh Barr Reno Ashcroft Gonzales Mukasey Holder

v t e Cabinet of President Barack Obama (since 2009)   Cabinet Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (2009–present) Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner (2009–present) Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (2009–2011) Leon Panetta (2011–present) Attorney General Eric Holder (2009–present) Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar (2009–present) Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack (2009–present) Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke (2009–2011) John Bryson (2011–present) Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis (2009–present) Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius (2009–present) Secretary of Education Arne Duncan (2009–present) Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan (2009–present) Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood (2009–present) Secretary of Energy Steven Chu (2009–present) Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki (2009–present) Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano (2009–present)   Cabinet-level Vice President Joe Biden (2009–present) White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel (2009–2010) William Daley (2011–2012) Jacob Lew (2012–present) Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Lisa Jackson (2009–present) Director of the Office of Management and Budget Peter Orszag (2009–2010) Jacob Lew (2010–2012) Trade Representative Ron Kirk (2009–present) Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice (2009–present) Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers Christina Romer (2009–2010) Austan Goolsbee (2010–2011) Alan Krueger (2011–present) Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Leon Panetta (2009–2011) David Petraeus (2011–present) Administrator of the Small Business Administration Karen Mills (2012–present)* * took office in 2009, raised to cabinet-rank in 2012 See also: Confirmations of Barack Obama's Cabinet

v t e Current members of the Cabinet of the United States Obama Biden Bryson Chu Clinton Donovan Duncan Geithner Holder Jacksonc Kirkc Kruegerc LaHood Lewc Millsc Napolitano Panetta Ricec Salazar Sebelius Solis Shinseki Vilsack Zientsca c - cabinet-level; a - acting

Patrick Connolly Meehan (1928–14 August 1994) was the victim of a controversial miscarriage of justice in Scotland. Although he died a natural death (of throat cancer in Swansea) ^[1] a number of people involved in the case died violent deaths, in clashes between former associates among Glasgow criminals. Meehan came from Glasgow and was a "peter man", a safe blower with convictions for bank robbery.^{[citation needed]}

In 1969 Mrs. Rachael Ross was murdered during the robbery of a post office in Ayr by two men. Her husband survived the robbery, and he reported that the robbers had addressed each other as "Pat" and "Jim". Police suspected two known criminals, Meehan and James Griffiths, who had been in the area. Griffiths panicked when the police tried to arrest him, and he went on a gun-toting rampage across Glasgow. He was shot dead by police, but only after he shot and injured several passers-by, one of whom later died. Meehan was arrested more peacefully and charged with the murder of Mrs. Ross. His solicitor was Joseph Beltrami, and his advocates were Nicholas Fairbairn and John Smith, who both later became high-ranking politicians.

At his trial he submitted a defence of incrimination, claiming that the murder was committed by another man, Ian Waddell, but was found guilty. His conviction proved controversial and there was a campaign for his release which included Fairbairn and Ludovic Kennedy. ^[2]

After the trial Waddell made a number of statements to journalists that he had committed the murder. Meehan spent several years in prison, but was eventually released and given a royal pardon.

An inquiry into the miscarriage of justice, held due to public demand, and chaired by Lord Hunter, reported in 1982. It was widely criticised as a whitewash.^[3]

Waddell was subsequently^[when?] charged with the murder, at his trial he submitted a defence of incrimination, claiming that the murder was committed by Meehan. This trial, and particularly the judge's summing-up, raised important questions about the legal meaning of a royal pardon, and Waddell was acquitted. Waddell was himself later murdered by an associate, Andrew Gentle, shortly after a robbery in which they murdered a woman. Gentle was convicted of both murders and later committed suicide in prison.^[4][5]

In view of information which has come to light since then, it is now generally accepted that the murder of Mrs. Ross was committed by Waddell and William "Tank" McGuiness, another man who was also murdered in 1976, apparently in a drunken street brawl. One crucial aspect of the case was that Beltrami knew that McGuiness had committed the murder of Mrs. Ross since he had told him under client confidentiality, but he was unable to reveal this, he was only able to do so after McGuiness was dead. (The last person to be seen with McGuiness while alive, John Winning, was charged with his murder, but the case against him collapsed because of insufficient evidence. Winning was also later murdered.) ^[4][5]

In later years Meehan put forward elaborate claims that he was framed by intelligence services due to issues concerning the escape of George Blake. ^[1]

External links[link]

• Biodata
• Meehan reference in The Scotsman
• Patrick Meehan papers
• another mention

References[link]

This Scottish biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

This article related to law in Scotland is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Chris Jansing
Born	(1957-01-30) January 30, 1957 (age 55) Fairport Harbor, Ohio
Other names	Christine
Education	Otterbein College in Ohio
Years active	1980 - Present

Christine 'Chris' Jansing (born Christine Kapostasy, January 30, 1957) is an American television news correspondent. She currently works for NBC News as host of Jansing and Company on MSNBC.

Jansing was born in Fairport Harbor, Ohio and is the youngest of twelve children of Joseph and Tilly Kapostasy, of Hungarian and Slovakian descent.

Career[link]

Chris Jansing first was exposed to journalism while doing college radio in Ohio. Originally a political science major, Jansing became hooked on journalism and switched majors to broadcast journalism and graduated from Otterbein College in Ohio in 1978. Jansing was a general assignment and an anchor reporter for WNYT in Albany, New York for 17 years. While there, she a New York Emmy Award in 1997 for her coverage of the Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta ("Kapostasy, DiNicola Earn New York Emmys," Albany NY Times-Union, April 29, 1997, p. C8).

In 1982, she married Robert Jansing, a chemist, who ran an analytical chemistry laboratory, and in 1998, upon her move to NBC, she began using her married name. She explained it was easier for viewers to pronounce ("Kapostasy Changing On-Air Name," Albany NY Times-Union, June 20, 1998, p. D6). She and her husband subsequently divorced, but she has continued to use the name "Chris Jansing" professionally.

Chris Jansing joined NBC News in June 1998 (Rob Owen, "WNYT After Kapostasy," Albany Times-Union, May 30, 1998, p. D7). She has since anchored and reported for MSNBC, and has been a substitute anchor for Today Show, and the Sunday version of NBC Nightly News.

Chris Jansing is currently anchor of the 10am hour on MSNBC weekdays on Jansing and Company, with Richard Lui regularly serving as a correspondent and substitute anchor.

Awards and Recognition[link]

• An Emmy Award for her coverage of the 1996 Olympic Park bombing at the Olympic Games in Atlanta.
• "Best Person" award from the New York State Broadcasters Association for her report on hunger in New York State.

External links[link]

• NBC News bio

Greta Van Susteren
Born	(1954-06-11) June 11, 1954 (age 58) Appleton, Wisconsin, U.S.
Education	University of Wisconsin-Madison Georgetown University Law Center
Occupation	Host of On the Record (Fox News Channel)
Years active	1991–present
Religion	Scientology
Spouse	John P. Coale
Website
Bio on FoxNews.com

Greta Van Susteren (born June 11, 1954) is an American commentator and television personality on the Fox News Channel, where she hosts On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren. A former criminal defense and civil trial lawyer, she appeared as a legal analyst on CNN co-hosting Burden of Proof with Roger Cossack from 1994 to 2002, playing defense attorney to Cossack's prosecutor.

Early life[link]

Van Susteren was born in Appleton, Wisconsin, and is of Dutch, French, Irish, Icelandic and German ancestry on her paternal side.^[1] Van Susteren's father, Urban Van Susteren, an elected judge, was a longtime friend of U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy, and a campaign strategist for him, although Urban later broke with him.^[2]

Van Susteren's sister, Lise, is a forensic psychiatrist in Bethesda, Maryland. In 2006, Lise was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.^[3] Her brother, Dirk Van Susteren, was a journalist and long-time editor of the Vermont Sunday magazine, jointly published, until folding in 2008, by the Rutland Herald and the Barre-Montpelier-Times Argus.^[4]

Career[link]

Van Susteren graduated from Xavier High School in Appleton in 1972 and the University of Wisconsin in Madison in 1976, where she studied geography and economics. She later earned a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1979 and prior to the start of her television work returned to Georgetown Law as an adjunct faculty member in addition to her full-time legal career.

During coverage of the O. J. Simpson murder trial, she appeared regularly on CNN as a legal analyst.^[5] This led to her stint as co-host of CNN's Burden of Proof and The Point.

In 2002, Van Susteren switched to the Fox News Channel after a highly publicized contract bidding war. According to People Magazine, Van Susteren has utilized cosmetic surgery to enhance her screen presentation.^[6] Since then, she has hosted the current affairs show On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren.

Personal life[link]

Van Susteren married tort lawyer John P. Coale in 1988.^[7] Coale, a self-described "ambulance chaser", became known as "Bhopal Coale" for his solicitation of clients among victims of the Bhopal disaster.^[8] He has served as an adviser for Sarah Palin.^[9]

Van Susteren and her husband are members of the Church of Scientology.^[7][10]

Since 2006, she has been part owner of a restaurant, the Old Mill Inn, in Mattituck, New York, on the North Fork of Long Island.^[11]

In recognition of her Dutch heritage she was asked to assume the role of Honorary Chairperson of the Little Chute Windmill Committee. The windmill, an authentic reproduction of a Dutch one, will be built in Little Chute, Wisconsin, where Van Susteren's family lived for some time.^[12]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Greta Van Susteren

• FOX News Bio of Greta Van Susteren
• On the Record w/Greta Van Susteren, from FOXnews.com
• Blog
• Greta Van Susteren at the Internet Movie Database