Michael Mukasey

Micheal B. Mukasey (born 1941, Bronx, NY) was a former federal district judge for the Southern District of New York after being nominated by Ronald Reagan. His tenure as judge, which he held the until 2006, was widely viewed favorably. Makasey is rumored to be a leading candidate for the federal Attorney General position which was left vacant after the resignation of Alberto Gonzales. He is a member of the Justice Advisory Committee of Giuliani's presidential campaign and his son is a law partner with Guiliani.

Mukasey presided over thousands of cases, many of them high-stake affairs. In 1996, he presided over the trail of Sjekl Omer Adel Rahman, the jehadist behind the 1992 World Trade Center Bombing, and eleven co-defendants, who were convicted and received lengthy prison terms. His work in this important trial earned praise from the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, which stated in a review of the trial,

"The trial judge, the Honorable Michael B. Mukasey, presided with extraordinary skill and patience, assuring fairness to the prosecution and to each defendant and helpfulness to the jury. His was an outstanding achievement in the face of challenges far beyond those normally endured by a trial judge."

Mukasey earned his bachelor’s degree at Columbia before graduating from Yale Law School in 1967. He left his law practice in 1988 for his appointed position as federal judge.