Academic

Preet Bharara Favored For SDNY US Attorney; EDNY Candidates Also Named

By Dan Filler

The WSJ  is reporting that Preet Bharara, a graduate of Columbia Law School and counsel to Senator Chuck Shumer, will likely be tabbed as the next U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.  He is 40.  He would replace the current interim U.S. Attorney, Lev Dassin, who graduated with me from law school.  Never fear, NYU Class of 1990: the same story suggests that Daniel Alonso, another classmate of mine, is now in the running for the top job in the Eastern District of New York.   (Among the other EDNY candidates are: Eric Corngold,  Benton Campbell,  Greg Andres,  Jim Walden, and Andrew Weissmann.)

There are a ton of U.S. Attorney appointments coming up in the very near future.  My hope is that these folks share Obama's fairly enlightened view of criminal law.  Mass imprisonment for non-violent offenses has devastated community after community.  I hope that fresh blood also means a fresh outlook.

Full post as published by The Faculty Lounge on February 12, 2009 (boomark / email).