Program Directory

 
City Club of Cleveland - Michael Chertoff
 
 
 
On February 15, 2005, Judge Michael Chertoff was unanimously confirmed by the Senate and sworn in as the second Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. He formerly served as United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.

Secretary Chertoff was previously Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal
Division at the Department of Justice where he oversaw the investigation of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He also formed the Enron Task Force, which produced more than 20 convictions, including those of CEOs Jeffrey Skilling and Ken Lay.

Chertoff spent more than a decade as a federal prosecutor in New Jersey and the
Southern District of New York. As a federal prosecutor, Chertoff investigated and personally prosecuted significant cases of political corruption, organized crime, and corporate fraud.

Chertoff graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College in 1975 and magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1978. From 1979-1980 he served as a clerk to Supreme Court Justice William Brennan, Jr.

Secretary Chertoff was the co-author of the controversial USA Patriot Act and has been directly involved in a number of key administration policies, including advising the CIA on the use of torture. He has been a leading administrator and supporter of stronger border policies and has issued waivers on a number of laws to facilitate the building of the 700 mile fence along the Mexican border. Bestselling author Jeffrey Toobin will discuss his newest book "The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court," a look into the chambers of the most important legal body in the U.S., the Supreme Court, and the nine people who decide the law of the land.

Just in time for the 2008 presidential election-where the future of the Court will be at stake-Toobin reveals an institution at a moment of transition. Based on exclusive interviews with justices themselves, The Nine tells the story of the Court through personalities and gives the full behind-the-scenes story of Bush v. Gore.

Toobin joined CNN from ABC News, where, during his seven-year tenure as a legal analyst, he provided legal analysis on several high profile cases, including the O.J. Simpson civil trial and the Kenneth Starr investigation of the Clinton White House. Toobin received a 2000 Emmy Award for his coverage of the Elian Gonzales custody saga.

Toobin, a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1993, has written articles on such subjects as Attorney General John Ashcroft, the 2001 dispute over Florida's votes for president, the Paula Jones sexual harassment case, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and the trial of Timothy McVeigh.

Previously, Toobin served as an assistant U.S. attorney in Brooklyn and as an associate counsel in the Office of Independent Counsel Lawrence E. Walsh. He has written several critically acclaimed, best-selling books including "A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Story of the Sex Scandal that Nearly Brought Down a President;" "The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson;" and "Too Close to Call: The 36-Day Battle to Decide the 2000 Election."

Toobin earned his bachelor's degree from Harvard College and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review.
September 26, 2008