Eric Schneiderman
Encyclopedia
Eric T. Schneiderman is the 65th and current New York Attorney General.
in 1977 with a B.A. in English
and Asian studies
, and graduated with honors from Harvard Law School
in 1982.
Schneiderman's career began when he served for two years as Deputy Sheriff in Berkshire County, Massachusetts
. He also clerked for two years within the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, subsequent to which he became a partner at the law firm of Kirkpatrick and Lockhart. As a public interest lawyer, Schneiderman served for over a decade as counsel to the West Side Crime Prevention program, and as lead counsel to the Straphangers Campaign
's lawsuit against New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority
.
. This comprises Manhattan
's Upper West Side
, as well as Morningside Heights, West Harlem, Washington Heights
, Inwood
, and Marble Hill
, in addition to part of Riverdale, The Bronx
.
, a civil rights attorney with 68% of the vote. In won the general election, he defeated Vincent McGowen with 82% of the vote. He won re-election in 2000 (84%), in 2002 (87%), in 2004 (89%), in 2006 (92%), and 2008 (90%).
leadership, prompting the redrawing of Senator Schneiderman's district in 2002 in order to include Washington Heights. This prompted former City Councilman
Guillermo Linares
- the first Dominican
elected official within New York City - to run against him in the Democratic primary in an ultimately unsuccessful bid for office.
In October 2009, Schneiderman was selected to chair the special committee to investigate the conduct of former Senator Hiram Monserrate. The bipartisan committee unanimously recommended Monserrate's expulsion from the Senate.
reforms, which were passed and signed into law in 2009. The reforms included moving away from long, mandatory minimum sentences, and allocating funds for alternatives to incarceration, treatment and reentry of prisoners into society. His other legislative accomplishments include passing the most sweeping ethics reforms in a generation and the toughest law in the nation to root out fraud against taxpayers.
, defeating four other candidates in the Democratic Primary on September 14, 2010. He won the general election against Republican nominee and Richmond County
district attorney
Dan Donovan
and took office on January 1st, 2011.
In his first weeks in office, Attorney General Schneiderman launched a plan to root out fraud and return money illegally stolen from New York taxpayers at no additional cost to the state. This initiative includes a new "Taxpayer Protection Unit" specifically designed to go after corruption in state contracts, pension fund rip-offs, and large-scale tax cheats. Schneiderman has also bolstered the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit by cracking down on fraud in the Medicaid program.
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Early life, education, and early career
Schneiderman graduated from Amherst CollegeAmherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
in 1977 with a B.A. in English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
and Asian studies
Asian studies
Asian studies, a term used usually in the United States for Oriental studies and is concerned with the Asian peoples, their cultures, languages, history and politics...
, and graduated with honors from Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
in 1982.
Schneiderman's career began when he served for two years as Deputy Sheriff in Berkshire County, Massachusetts
Berkshire County, Massachusetts
Berkshire County is a non-governmental county located on the western edge of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2010 census, the population was 131,219. Its largest city and traditional county seat is Pittsfield...
. He also clerked for two years within the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, subsequent to which he became a partner at the law firm of Kirkpatrick and Lockhart. As a public interest lawyer, Schneiderman served for over a decade as counsel to the West Side Crime Prevention program, and as lead counsel to the Straphangers Campaign
Straphangers Campaign
The Straphangers Campaign is a New York City-based transit interest group that critiques the operations and planning activities of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority and especially that agency's affiliate, New York City Transit, operator of the city's huge subway and bus system...
's lawsuit against New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the U.S...
.
State Senate
Before being elected Attorney General, Schneiderman previously represented the 31st District in the New York State SenateNew York State Senate
The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...
. This comprises Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's Upper West Side
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River and between West 59th Street and West 125th Street...
, as well as Morningside Heights, West Harlem, Washington Heights
Washington Heights, Manhattan
Washington Heights is a New York City neighborhood in the northern reaches of the borough of Manhattan. It is named for Fort Washington, a fortification constructed at the highest point on Manhattan island by Continental Army troops during the American Revolutionary War, to defend the area from the...
, Inwood
Inwood, Manhattan
Inwood is the northernmost neighborhood on Manhattan Island in the New York City borough of Manhattan.-Geography:Inwood is physically bounded by the Harlem River to the north and east, and the Hudson River to the west. It extends southward to Fort Tryon Park and alternatively Dyckman Street or...
, and Marble Hill
Marble Hill, Manhattan
Marble Hill is the neighborhood which makes up the northernmost part of the Borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States. Although it is politically part of Manhattan and New York County, because of the re-routing of the Harlem River, it is located on the North American mainland contiguous...
, in addition to part of Riverdale, The Bronx
Riverdale, Bronx
Riverdale is an affluent residential neighborhood in the northwest portion of the Bronx in New York City. Riverdale contains the northernmost point in New York City.-History:...
.
Elections
In the 1998 Democratic primary, Schneiderman, an anti-crime activist, defeated Daniel O'DonnellDaniel O'Donnell (politician)
Daniel J. O'Donnell is a Democratic member of the New York State Assembly, representing the 69th district in Manhattan, made up of the neighborhoods of Manhattan Valley, Morningside Heights, and portions of the Upper West Side and West Harlem.In 2008 he was considered by New York Governor David...
, a civil rights attorney with 68% of the vote. In won the general election, he defeated Vincent McGowen with 82% of the vote. He won re-election in 2000 (84%), in 2002 (87%), in 2004 (89%), in 2006 (92%), and 2008 (90%).
Leadership
Schneiderman is a former Chairman of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee. This post has served as a source of irritation to some of his colleagues within the Senate RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
leadership, prompting the redrawing of Senator Schneiderman's district in 2002 in order to include Washington Heights. This prompted former City Councilman
New York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of the City of New York. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The Council serves as a check against the mayor in a "strong" mayor-council government model. The council monitors performance of city agencies and...
Guillermo Linares
Guillermo Linares
Guillermo Linares is a Democratic member of the New York State Assembly, representing the 72nd Assembly District in Manhattan. He is a former New York City councilman and a former New York City Commissioner of Immigrant Affairs.-Life and education:...
- the first Dominican
Dominican American
A Dominican American is any American who has origins in the Dominican Republic.Immigration records of Dominicans in the United States date from the late 19th century, and New York City has had a Dominican community since the 1930s...
elected official within New York City - to run against him in the Democratic primary in an ultimately unsuccessful bid for office.
In October 2009, Schneiderman was selected to chair the special committee to investigate the conduct of former Senator Hiram Monserrate. The bipartisan committee unanimously recommended Monserrate's expulsion from the Senate.
Tenure
Schneiderman was the chief sponsor of the Rockefeller Drug LawRockefeller drug laws
The Rockefeller Drug Laws is the term used to denote the statutes dealing with the sale and possession of "narcotic" drugs in the New York State Penal Law. The laws are named after Nelson Rockefeller, who was the state's governor at the time the laws were adopted...
reforms, which were passed and signed into law in 2009. The reforms included moving away from long, mandatory minimum sentences, and allocating funds for alternatives to incarceration, treatment and reentry of prisoners into society. His other legislative accomplishments include passing the most sweeping ethics reforms in a generation and the toughest law in the nation to root out fraud against taxpayers.
Attorney General
Schneiderman was the Democratic Party nominee for New York Attorney GeneralNew York attorney general election, 2010
The New York attorney general election of 2010 took place on 2 November 2010. Democratic state senator Eric Schneiderman beat his Republican opponent Dan Donovan to win the post of New York State Attorney General, which had been vacated by Andrew Cuomo following his run for Governor.-Democratic...
, defeating four other candidates in the Democratic Primary on September 14, 2010. He won the general election against Republican nominee and Richmond County
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
district attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
Dan Donovan
Daniel M. Donovan, Jr.
Daniel M. Donovan, Jr. is an attorney and elected official from New York City. He currently serves as the district attorney for Richmond County, New York .-Early life:...
and took office on January 1st, 2011.
In his first weeks in office, Attorney General Schneiderman launched a plan to root out fraud and return money illegally stolen from New York taxpayers at no additional cost to the state. This initiative includes a new "Taxpayer Protection Unit" specifically designed to go after corruption in state contracts, pension fund rip-offs, and large-scale tax cheats. Schneiderman has also bolstered the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit by cracking down on fraud in the Medicaid program.
External links
- Official NY Attorney General Website
- Eric Schneiderman for Attorney General Official campaign website
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