Dennis K. Burke
Encyclopedia
Dennis K. Burke is the former United States Attorney
for the District of Arizona.
, Illinois
in 1962. Burke received a bachelor's degree
from Georgetown University
in 1985 and earned his Juris Doctor
from University of Arizona College of Law in 1988. After completing law school, Burke served as a law clerk
for Judge James Moeller
of the Arizona Supreme Court
.
Burke has over 20 years of public service at both the Federal and State levels. Burke was most recently a Senior Advisor to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. He served as Chief of Staff to Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano from 2003 to 2008. Prior to that position, he worked in the Arizona Attorney General's Office as the Chief Deputy Attorney General. He is a former Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Arizona prosecuting drug trafficking cases, was the Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs at the United States Department of Justice, a Senior Policy Analyst for the White House Domestic Policy Council during the Clinton Administration and a Majority Counsel for the United States Senate Judiciary Committee, where he worked on three Supreme Court nominations, intellectual property as well as crime and law enforcement legislation.
He graduated from Georgetown University in 1985 and received a law degree in 1988 from University of Arizona, College of Law in Tucson, where he served as Executive Editor of the Arizona Law Review. After law school, Burke was a clerk for the Honorable James Moeller on the Arizona Supreme Court. He was also an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. Burke has received numerous awards and commendations for his years in public service, including the Public Advocate Award from Chicanos Por La Causa in Phoenix, Arizona and the Minuteman Award from the Arizona National Guard.
On July 10, 2009, Burke was nominated by President Barack Obama
to serve as the United States Attorney
for the District of Arizona. He was confirmed by unanimous consent by the U.S. Senate on September 15, 2009.
In early August 2011, just before resigning as U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona, Burke (according to Phoenix police records) struck 67-year-old Robert Maresco, who was walking the street in an unmarked crosswalk. Burke was not cited in the accident. Officers estimated that he was traveling at about 30 miles per hour, under the posted limit of 35 mph., and the police report suggests that he did not show any signs of impairment. Mr. Maresco is a Phoenix-based certified public accountant/financial planner well-known for his involvement in various community activities. Mr. Maresco was hospitalized at St. Joseph's Neuro Rehabilitation Center for two months.
On August 30, 2011, Burke resigned, (See Burke Resignation Letter to President Barack Obama
below.), as a result of increased pressure being applied to his U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona office from various directions, including Congress, in the wake of the gunwalker scandal
. Project Gunrunner
occurred within the ranks of the U.S. Justice Department, specifically the FBI
and the BATF&E
, and resulted in sweeping investigations and multiple resignations with Burke's resignation being the most senior of these. During congressional testimony about his role in Project Gunrunner, Burke "got physically sick" and could not continue.
Former U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke admitted leaking a sensitive document about a federal agent (Agent John Dodson) who blew the whistle on the gunrunning operation. Mr. Burke’s Phoenix attorney, Lee Stein, said in a Nov. 8 2011 letter to the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General that his client had provided information to a reporter who was working on several stories involving Fast and Furious.
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
for the District of Arizona.
Early life and education
Burke was born in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
in 1962. Burke received a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
in 1985 and earned his Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from University of Arizona College of Law in 1988. After completing law school, Burke served as a law clerk
Law clerk
A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person who provides assistance to a judge in researching issues before the court and in writing opinions. Law clerks are not court clerks or courtroom deputies, who are administrative staff for the court. Most law clerks are recent law school graduates who...
for Judge James Moeller
James Moeller
James Moeller is an American lawyer and jurist who served as a member of the Arizona Supreme Court for eleven years from 1987 to 1998....
of the Arizona Supreme Court
Arizona Supreme Court
The Arizona Supreme Court is the state supreme court of the U.S. state of Arizona. It consists of a Chief Justice, a Vice Chief Justice, and three associate justices. Each justice is appointed by the governor of Arizona from a list recommended by a bipartisan commission. Justices stand for...
.
Career
On Wednesday, September 16, 2009, Dennis K. Burke was sworn in as the United States Attorney for the District of Arizona. He was recently appointed to serve on the Attorney General's Advisory Committee (AGAC) which advises the Attorney General on policy, management, and operational issues at the Department of Justice. He was also selected to be the Chair of the AGAC Subcommittee on Border and Immigration Law Enforcement and a member of two other AGAC Subcommittees on Native American Issues and Civil Rights.Burke has over 20 years of public service at both the Federal and State levels. Burke was most recently a Senior Advisor to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. He served as Chief of Staff to Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano from 2003 to 2008. Prior to that position, he worked in the Arizona Attorney General's Office as the Chief Deputy Attorney General. He is a former Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Arizona prosecuting drug trafficking cases, was the Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs at the United States Department of Justice, a Senior Policy Analyst for the White House Domestic Policy Council during the Clinton Administration and a Majority Counsel for the United States Senate Judiciary Committee, where he worked on three Supreme Court nominations, intellectual property as well as crime and law enforcement legislation.
He graduated from Georgetown University in 1985 and received a law degree in 1988 from University of Arizona, College of Law in Tucson, where he served as Executive Editor of the Arizona Law Review. After law school, Burke was a clerk for the Honorable James Moeller on the Arizona Supreme Court. He was also an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. Burke has received numerous awards and commendations for his years in public service, including the Public Advocate Award from Chicanos Por La Causa in Phoenix, Arizona and the Minuteman Award from the Arizona National Guard.
On July 10, 2009, Burke was nominated by President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
to serve as the United States Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
for the District of Arizona. He was confirmed by unanimous consent by the U.S. Senate on September 15, 2009.
In early August 2011, just before resigning as U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona, Burke (according to Phoenix police records) struck 67-year-old Robert Maresco, who was walking the street in an unmarked crosswalk. Burke was not cited in the accident. Officers estimated that he was traveling at about 30 miles per hour, under the posted limit of 35 mph., and the police report suggests that he did not show any signs of impairment. Mr. Maresco is a Phoenix-based certified public accountant/financial planner well-known for his involvement in various community activities. Mr. Maresco was hospitalized at St. Joseph's Neuro Rehabilitation Center for two months.
On August 30, 2011, Burke resigned, (See Burke Resignation Letter to President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
below.), as a result of increased pressure being applied to his U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona office from various directions, including Congress, in the wake of the gunwalker scandal
Operation Fast and Furious
Operation Fast and Furious was a sting operation run by the United States via the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Phoenix Field Division between 2009 and 2010. Part of Project Gunrunner, the Southwest Border strategy first implemented it in 2006 to stem the flow of illegal...
. Project Gunrunner
Project Gunrunner
Project Gunrunner is an operation of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives intended to stem the flow of firearms into Mexico, in an attempt to deprive the Mexican drug cartels of weapons....
occurred within the ranks of the U.S. Justice Department, specifically the FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
and the BATF&E
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is a federal law enforcement organization within the United States Department of Justice...
, and resulted in sweeping investigations and multiple resignations with Burke's resignation being the most senior of these. During congressional testimony about his role in Project Gunrunner, Burke "got physically sick" and could not continue.
Former U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke admitted leaking a sensitive document about a federal agent (Agent John Dodson) who blew the whistle on the gunrunning operation. Mr. Burke’s Phoenix attorney, Lee Stein, said in a Nov. 8 2011 letter to the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General that his client had provided information to a reporter who was working on several stories involving Fast and Furious.