Margaret Chiara

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Margaret M. Chiara is most notable for serving as United States Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, from 2001 until she was dismissed in the Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy; her forced resignation was effective March 16, 2007. She was Michigan’s first female U.S. attorney^[1]

Chiara was associated with a private law firm in rural Cass County before becoming a prosecutor. For twelve years she was a teacher and educational administrator, with a masters in administration from Pace University and an undergraduate degree is from Fordham University. Her interest in education law and school finance reform led to Rutgers Law School.

Subsequently, she was twice elected Cass County prosecutor, and was the first woman elected to serve as president of the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan (PAAM). Then in 1999, Ms. Chiara joined the staff of the Office of the Chief Justice at the Michigan Supreme Court.

[edit] Career as U.S. Attorney and dismissal

Main article: Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy

Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy

Administration Officials Involved

Alberto Gonzales, Attorney General and former White House Counsel
Paul McNulty, Deputy Attorney General
Karl Rove, Deputy White House Chief of Staff
Harriet Miers, White House Counsel
Kyle Sampson, Chief of Staff to the Attorney General
Fred Fielding, White House Counsel
William Kelley, Deputy White House Counsel
Michael Elston, Chief of Staff to the Deputy Attorney General
William Moschella, Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General

Resigned

Kyle Sampson, Chief of Staff to the Attorney General
Michael A. Battle, Director of the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys
Monica Goodling, Justice Department's liaison to the White House

US Attorneys who were fired

United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary

Patrick Leahy, Chair (Democrat)
Arlen Specter, Ranking member, former Chair (Republican)
Brett Tolman former counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee,
U.S. Attorney, District of Utah

Ms. Chiara was nominated to the position of United States Attorney on September 4, 2001, and was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate on October 23, 2001. On March 23, 2007, the New York Times reported that Chiara was told by a senior Justice Department official that she was being removed to make way for a new attorney that the Bush administration wanted to groom. “To say it was about politics may not be pleasant, but at least it is truthful,” Chiara said. “Poor performance was not a truthful explanation.” ^[2]

AP reported that during her tenure, "the jurisdiction has seen a 15 percent increase in felony prosecutions and convictions. She developed an attorney training and mentoring program that now serves as a national model, her office said."^[1]