Barbara L. McQuade

Barbara L. McQuade
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan
Incumbent
Assumed office January 4, 2010
Appointed by	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Stephen Joseph Murphy III
Personal details
Born	1964
Alma mater	University of Michigan University of Michigan Law School (J.D.)

Barbara L. McQuade (born 1964) is currently the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Early life and education

Born in Detroit, McQuade is a 1987 graduate of the University of Michigan and a 1991 graduate of the University of Michigan Law School. Before joining the U.S. Attorney's Office, McQuade practiced law at the firm of Butzel Long in Detroit, and served as a law clerk for Hon. Bernard A. Friedman on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Career

McQuade was an assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Michigan from 1998 until becoming U.S. Attorney in that same district. She was also a professor of law at University of Detroit Mercy School of Law from 2003-2009.

McQuade was appointed by President Barack Obama and started her term as U.S. Attorney on January 4, 2010. Upon taking office in January 2010, McQuade restructured the office for the first time in more than 35 years to align attorney resources with the priorities of the district; national security, violent crime, public corruption, civil rights and financial fraud, including mortgage fraud, health care fraud, and environmental crimes. ^[1]

Significant case accomplishments during McQuade's tenure include the conviction of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick on public corruption charges, the conviction and life sentence of an Al-Qaeda operative for attempting to blow up an airliner over Detroit on Christmas Day in 2009, the conviction of a former Michigan Supreme Court Justice on bank fraud charges, and the convictions of former employees for stealing trade secrets from Detroit automakers. McQuade also joined with other law enforcement leaders to launch Detroit One, a violence reduction strategy and community partnership. ^[2]

McQuade serves on the Attorney General's Advisory Committee, and serves as co-chair of the Terrorism and National Security Subcommittee. She also serves on subcommittees addressing civil rights and border security.

The first woman to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, McQuade was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Detroit for 12 years. She served as Deputy Chief of the National Security Unit, where she prosecuted cases involving terrorism financing, foreign agents, export violations, and threats. During her career as a federal prosecutor, McQuade has also prosecuted cases involving violent crime, fraud and racketeering.

McQuade is married and has four children.

References

• US Attorney's office bio
• Main Justice article on McQuade