President Bush Nominates Michael Mukasey to Serve as the 81st U.S. Attorney General

According to a September 17^th news release, the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) commended President Bush's nomination of former U.S. District Court Judge Michael Mukasey as United States Attorney General.

According to its website, the ACLJ specializes in constitutional law and works to protect religious freedom and liberty in more than 36 countries worldwide. Chief counsel, Jay Sekulow, explains why the ACLJ celebrates President Bush's nomination.

"Michael Mukasey is good for the Department of Justice and good for America," Sekulow says in a ACLJ press release. "Judge Mukasey is a highly respected jurist and has a tremendous record of accomplishment both as Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York as well as an attorney in private practice. He brings a steady hand of leadership to the Department of Justice. And his handling of some of the most important cases involving terrorism underscores his respect for the Constitution and the rule of law. As the nation's chief law enforcement officer, Judge Mukasey will serve the Department of Justice and the nation well."

According to the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, Michael B. Mukasey was born in 1941 in Bronx, NY. He attended Columbia University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) degree in 1963. He attended Yale Law School and earned a law degree (LL.B) in 1967. He worked in private practice from 1967-1972. From 1972-1976 he served as Assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of NY. He worked as partner and associate of Patterson Belknap from 1976-1988, served for 18 years as District Judge and then Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, and then rejoined Patterson Belknap in 2006.