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JUDGE JEANINE PIRRO

JPIRRO_S2_2Jeanine Pirro is a highly respected former District Attorney and county judge, elected politician, sought-after legal commentator, author, champion of women’s rights, and mother of two. She now brings her many years of professional and life experience to the daytime television court genre.

Born in the small upstate New York farming town of Elmira, Pirro (née Ferris) is one of New York’s most acclaimed politicians. She graduated from Notre Dame High School, earned a B.A. from the University of Buffalo, and received her Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from Albany Law School. After law school, Pirro became an Assistant District Attorney in Westchester County in 1978, and in 1989, she became the first female judge to sit on the county court bench.

In 1993, Pirro was elected District Attorney of Westchester County, once again setting precedent as the first female to hold that position. She was re-elected in 1997 and again in 2001. Prosecuting murder, rape, domestic violence, and other important cases, Pirro received considerable recognition for her work as a leading advocate for victims of domestic violence, enacting game-changing laws. Pirro also gained national visibility, appearing on television programs such as “Larry King Live” and “Nightline.” In 1997, People magazine named her as one of its 50 Most Beautiful People.

In 2006, Pirro’s career was catapulted to a new level when she was chosen as the Republican Party’s candidate for New York State Attorney General.

Recently, Pirro has been a regular legal analyst and judicial commentator on television programs such as “Today,” “Larry King Live,” “The O’Reilly Factor,”  “The Joy Behar Show,” “Good Morning America, “The Early Show,” “60 Minutes” and “Geraldo at Large.” As a constant presence in the courtroom, politics, and television, Pirro now brings her considerable life experience and no-nonsense yet compassionate voice to her viewers each day.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

1975 – Began career in public service as an Assistant District Attorney in Westchester County
1978 – Headed one of the first domestic violence units in a prosecutor’s office, one of only four in the nation
1990 – Became the first woman elected to the Westchester County Court bench
1992 – Received the highest rating from The Fund for Modern Courts
1993 – Elected first female District Attorney in Westchester County
1996 – Appointed by Governor Pataki to chair the Commission on Domestic Violence
Fatalities
1997 – Re-elected District Attorney by the second highest percentage in modern Westchester
history
1997 – Established the Bias Crimes Unit to investigate and prosecute hate crimes in
Westchester
1998 – Opened the Westchester Intelligence Center High Intensity Drug Trafficking Unit
(HIDTA), the information hub of law enforcement intelligence in the New York City region which served as the nexus for the New York City Police Department when its center was disabled by the attack on the World Trade Center
1999 – On behalf of the U.S. Department of State, gathered testimony of Serbian war crimes from Kosovar refugees
1999 – Became the first woman to serve as President of the New York State District Attorneys Association
1999 – Testified in the United States Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on hate crimes
2001 – Elected to third term as Westchester County District Attorney
2002 – With Westchester school superintendents, formed Westchester County Advisory
Council on Underage Drinking, resulting in a nearly 50% drop in the number of alcohol merchants willing to sell alcohol to minors
2004 – Testified before the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security of the House of Representatives on the Private Security Office Employment Authorization Act
2004 – Wrote the acclaimed book To Punish and Protect: Against a System That Coddles
Criminals” (Simon & Schuster)

OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS

  • Created new specialized units to investigate and prosecute crimes involving hate and bias, elder abuse, domestic abuse, environmental crime, youth and gang violence, sex crimes, animal abuse, child abuse, and pedophiles on the Internet, helping more than 30,000 victims
  • Brought more than 100 pedophiles and child pornographers to justice, a 100% conviction rate
  • As the chief law enforcement officer in a county of nearly one million people served by 45 different law enforcement agencies, headed staff of 118 Assistant District Attorneys, 38 criminal investigators and 80 support personnel
  • During her first ten years as District Attorney, reduced violent crime in Westchester by 30%
  • Centralized support systems for crime victims by opening a Victims Justice Center in the county courthouse
  • Spurred aggressive recruitment of women and minorities, with the District Attorney’s office now employing over 117 Assistant District Attorneys as diverse as the population they serve
  • Created high-technology crimes unit conducting undercover Internet pedophile and child pornographer stings and serving as a model for other local, state and federal initiatives
  • Has written numerous articles in such publications as the New York Post, the New York Law Journal, Jungle Law and Urban Law Journal
  • Has provided expert legal analysis on CNN, Court TV, and FOX News Channel, along with national news programs such as “The Today Show,” “Good Morning America,” “CBS This Morning,” “60 Minutes” and “48 Hours.”
  • As a courtroom prosecutor trying major felony cases for 12 years, had a 100% conviction rate and supervised 45,000 cases
  • As an Assistant District Attorney, created and headed the innovative Domestic Violence and Child Abuse Bureau, which served as a model for other District Attorneys’ offices
  • Has established numerous outreach programs, including Watchful Eye, Operation Safe Smiles, Pro-Law, Community Justice, Operation Teen Proof, the Community Crime Prevention Bureau, and Clear Choices
  • Helped New York become the 43rd state to enact hate crimes legislation
  • Has received numerous awards, including the Spirit of Anne Frank Award, the New York State Lifetime Visionary Award, and the Ellis Island Award, along with honors from the Black Republican Council, the Charles Campbell Committee for Justice, Distinguished Women in Law Enforcement, and many others
  • Forged successful partnerships with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to better combat organized crime, narcotics trafficking and car theft rings operating in and around Westchester
  • Established the Community Crime Prevention Bureau, which offers interactive programs throughout schools in Westchester
  • Served on dozens of committees for the Westchester County Bar Association, the Westchester Women’s Bar Association, and the American Bar Association
  • Has been a faculty member of the Westchester Council on Alcoholism and other Drug Addictions; Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York; the National College of District Attorneys; Mercy College, White Plains, New York; and the Municipal Police Training Course in Westchester County
  • Has been profiled in several magazines, including The New Yorker, New York, and Spotlight
  • Received her B.A., Magna Cum Laude, from the University of Buffalo, graduating Phi Beta Kappa
  • Received her J.D. from Albany Law School, Union University, where she was an editor of the Albany Law Review