NYCLA Letter to United States Senate Judiciary Committee Supporting Loretta Lynch Attorney General Nomination

NYCLA Letter to United States Senate Judiciary Committee Supporting Loretta Lynch Attorney General Nomination

January 23, 2015

 

The Honorable Charles E. Grassley

Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary

United States Senate

224 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20510

 

The Honorable Patrick J. Leahy

Ranking Member, Committee on the Judiciary

United States Senate

437 Russell Senate Bldg.

Washington, D.C. 20510

 

Re: Nomination of Loretta Lynch for Attorney General

 

Dear Chairman Grassley and Ranking Member Leahy:

 

The undersigned are former Presidents of the New York County Lawyers’ Association (NYCLA), which is a bar association of more than 9,000 lawyers, making it one of the largest county bar associations in the country. As a group we include Republicans, Democrats and Independents. We are or were law firm partners representing diverse practice areas, federal and state prosecutors, public defenders and law school professors. We write in support of the nomination of Loretta Lynch to be the Attorney General of the United States.

 

Many of us know Loretta Lynch personally or have interacted with her professionally. We all know of her stellar reputation in the New York legal community. As a lawyer and prosecutor, she is known for her integrity, professionalism, unimpeachable ethics and commitment to justice. Under her leadership, the United States Attorney’s Office has successfully prosecuted cases involving public corruption, terrorism, organized crime, violent gangs and civil rights violations. Loretta Lynch has earned the respect of the defense bar, members of the judiciary, and the public she serves because of her pursuit of justice without fear or favor. Her reputation for competence, compassion, fairness and non-partisanship is well deserved.

 

In 2004 and in 2005, Ms. Lynch was among the outstanding lawyers whom NYCLA honored at our annual dinner. In 2012, Ms. Lynch was the recipient of NYCLA’s Ida B. Wells-Barnett Award in recognition of a career that reflects the spirit and courageousness of the anti-lynching civil rights activist. In 2014, because of her distinguished career in public service and in private practice, NYCLA invited Ms. Lynch to give NYCLA’s 51st Annual Charles Evans Hughes Memorial lecture. Her lecture was powerful and inspirational.

 

Loretta Lynch has served with honor and distinction in both of her terms as United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. We are confident that she will continue her excellent public service as Attorney General of the United States.

 

Very truly yours,

 

Arthur Norman Field (1990-1992)

Klaus Eppler (1995-1996)

John J. Kenney (1996-1997)

Rosalind S. Fink (1997-1998)

Stephen D. Hoffman (1998-2000)

Craig A. Landy (2000-2002)

Catherine A. Christian (2007-2008)

Ann B. Lesk (2008-2010)

James B. Kobak Jr (2010-2011)

Stewart D. Aaron (2011-2013)

Barbara Moses (2013-2014)