Kathleen Rice
Encyclopedia
Kathleen Maura Rice is the current Nassau County District Attorney. In November 2005, Rice defeated 31-year-incumbent Denis E. Dillon to become the first female district attorney of Nassau.
, and was one of 10 siblings in an Irish Catholic
family. She graduated from The Catholic University of America
in 1987 with a B.A. in English and graduated from Touro Law School
in June 1991.
She began her career as an assistant district attorney the Brooklyn DA's Office, where she was eventually appointed to serve in the office's Homicide Bureau. Rice served as a federal prosecutor for the United States Department of Justice.
Rice has received national attention for her prosecution of drunk-drivers who kill or seriously injure their victims. She has also received attention for her efforts combat drugs using a combination of traditional law enforcement methods and community-based social service opportunities for non-violent offenders. In 2007, Rice became the first local district attorney in New York history to form a Medicaid Fraud Unit.
Rice has been criticized for failing to prosecute a Hofstra University freshman in the fall of 2009 who lied about a gang rape. The freshman reported that she was raped by 5 men, resulting in their arrest and imprisonment for several days. When a cell phone video surfaced showing that the girl was a willing, consensual, and active participant in the orgy, Rice freed the 5 men, but declined to prosecute the girl for filing a false report. Joy Watson, a prosecutor looking to run against Rice for District Attorney, said that she would have prosecuted the case.
In 2009, the Long Island Press newspaper ranked Rice the #3 most powerful person on Long Island.
of New York should the incumbent, Andrew Cuomo
, formally announce his campaign for Governor
. According to campaign finance filings filed in January, Rice had $2.4 million in the bank, nearly a million dollars more than any of her possible opponents. In October 2009, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo headlined a fundraising event for Rice on Long Island. On September 14, 2010 she lost the attorney general race for the Democratic nomination to Eric Schneiderman
. Schneiderman was elected to the office.
Rice was criticised by the Albany Times Union for running a TV ad asserting that New York State did not have a law making it a felony to lure a minor over the Internet. The editorial said such a law had been passed prior to the ad being aired. In fact, the law exists, titled "Disseminating Indecent Material to a Minor." The "luring" portion of the crime is in effect, but the crime prohibiting use of the internet to engage in communication with a minor was declared unconstitutional in American Libraries Ass'n v. Pataki, 1997, 969 F.Supp. 160.
Early life and education
Rice grew up in Garden CityGarden City, New York
Garden City is a village in the town of Hempstead in central Nassau County, New York, in the United States. It was founded by multi-millionaire Alexander Turney Stewart in 1869, and is located on Long Island, to the east of New York City, from mid-town Manhattan, and just south of the town of...
, and was one of 10 siblings in an Irish Catholic
Irish Catholic
Irish Catholic is a term used to describe people who are both Roman Catholic and Irish .Note: the term is not used to describe a variant of Catholicism. More particularly, it is not a separate creed or sect in the sense that "Anglo-Catholic", "Old Catholic", "Eastern Orthodox Catholic" might be...
family. She graduated from The Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America is a private university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by the U.S. Catholic bishops...
in 1987 with a B.A. in English and graduated from Touro Law School
Touro Law School
Touro Law Center, also known as the Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center, is a law school in Central Islip, New York.-History:...
in June 1991.
She began her career as an assistant district attorney the Brooklyn DA's Office, where she was eventually appointed to serve in the office's Homicide Bureau. Rice served as a federal prosecutor for the United States Department of Justice.
Nassau County District Attorney
Despite Democratic losses throughout Nassau County in 2009, Rice defeated her Republican opponent by more than eight percentage points.Rice has received national attention for her prosecution of drunk-drivers who kill or seriously injure their victims. She has also received attention for her efforts combat drugs using a combination of traditional law enforcement methods and community-based social service opportunities for non-violent offenders. In 2007, Rice became the first local district attorney in New York history to form a Medicaid Fraud Unit.
Rice has been criticized for failing to prosecute a Hofstra University freshman in the fall of 2009 who lied about a gang rape. The freshman reported that she was raped by 5 men, resulting in their arrest and imprisonment for several days. When a cell phone video surfaced showing that the girl was a willing, consensual, and active participant in the orgy, Rice freed the 5 men, but declined to prosecute the girl for filing a false report. Joy Watson, a prosecutor looking to run against Rice for District Attorney, said that she would have prosecuted the case.
In 2009, the Long Island Press newspaper ranked Rice the #3 most powerful person on Long Island.
2010 campaign plans
In February 2010 Rice announced she intended to run for Attorney GeneralAttorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
of New York should the incumbent, Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Mark Cuomo is the 56th and current Governor of New York, having assumed office on January 1, 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the 64th New York State Attorney General, and was the 11th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development...
, formally announce his campaign for Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
. According to campaign finance filings filed in January, Rice had $2.4 million in the bank, nearly a million dollars more than any of her possible opponents. In October 2009, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo headlined a fundraising event for Rice on Long Island. On September 14, 2010 she lost the attorney general race for the Democratic nomination to Eric Schneiderman
Eric Schneiderman
Eric T. Schneiderman is the 65th and current New York Attorney General.-Early life, education, and early career:Schneiderman graduated from Amherst College in 1977 with a B.A...
. Schneiderman was elected to the office.
Rice was criticised by the Albany Times Union for running a TV ad asserting that New York State did not have a law making it a felony to lure a minor over the Internet. The editorial said such a law had been passed prior to the ad being aired. In fact, the law exists, titled "Disseminating Indecent Material to a Minor." The "luring" portion of the crime is in effect, but the crime prohibiting use of the internet to engage in communication with a minor was declared unconstitutional in American Libraries Ass'n v. Pataki, 1997, 969 F.Supp. 160.
External links
- Bio page at the DA Office
- Campaign web site