Pam Bondi
Encyclopedia
Pamela Jo Bondi is the current Attorney General
of Florida
.
. Her father, Joseph Bondi, was a City Councilman and then Mayor of Temple Terrace. She is a graduate of C. Leon King High School
in Tampa
, Florida. Bondi graduated from the University of Florida
in 1987 with a degree in Criminal Justice
. She then graduated from Stetson Law School with a JD in 1990 and was admitted to the Florida Bar on June 24, 1991.
and spokeswoman in Hillsborough County
, Florida
where she worked as an Assistant State Attorney. Bondi resigned this position to seek the office of Attorney General of Florida. She has made guest appearances on Scarborough Country
with Joe Scarborough
and various other cable news programming on MSNBC
and worked for Fox News
as a legal analyst.
Bondi prosecuted former Major League Baseball
player Dwight Gooden
for violating the terms of his probation and for substance abuse. Bondi also prosecuted the Martin Anderson death defendants.
Jeff Kottkamp
in a 3-way race. On November 2, 2010 she defeated Democratic nominee Dan Gelber
, to become the Attorney General of the State of Florida
. She was endorsed by former Alaska
Governor and 2008 vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin
during the primary.
Bondi is the lead attorney general in the lawsuit seeking to overturn Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
(PPACA), Florida et al v. United States Department of Health and Human Services
. In the lawsuit the State of Florida and 26 other states have argued that the individual mandate provision of the PPACA violates the Constitution
.
She retained Scott Makar
as Florida Solicitor General
; he has held that position since 2007.
Some former lawyers of the attorney general's office have criticized their former employer for preferential treatment of corporations and law firms. Critics have also charged that two of Bondi's assistant district attorneys that were investigation foreclosure fraud were admonished and then forced out of their jobs. They also point out that Bondi has accepted campaign contributions from companies under investigation by the attorney general's office. Through a spokeswoman Bondi responded, "We aggressively prosecute wrongdoing regardless of the subject of the investigation."
Florida Attorney General
The Florida Attorney General is an elected cabinet official in the U.S. state of Florida. The attorney general serves as the chief legal officer of the state....
of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
Early life and education
Bondi's hometown is Temple Terrace, FloridaTemple Terrace, Florida
Temple Terrace is an incorporated city in northeastern Hillsborough County, Florida, USA, adjacent to Tampa. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,541. It is the third and smallest incorporated municipality in Hillsborough County...
. Her father, Joseph Bondi, was a City Councilman and then Mayor of Temple Terrace. She is a graduate of C. Leon King High School
C. Leon King High School
C. Leon King High School, named in honor of C. Leon King a distinguished and respected member of the Hillsborough County Board of Public Instruction for 18 years opened in 1960 with 58 faculty members and 960 students. It is located at 6815 North 56th Street, Tampa, FL 33610.King High School is a...
in Tampa
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
, Florida. Bondi graduated from the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in 1987 with a degree in Criminal Justice
Criminal justice
Criminal Justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts...
. She then graduated from Stetson Law School with a JD in 1990 and was admitted to the Florida Bar on June 24, 1991.
Early career
She is a former prosecutorProsecutor
The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
and spokeswoman in Hillsborough County
Hillsborough County, Florida
As of the census of 2000, there were 998,948 people, 391,357 households, and 255,164 families residing in the county. The population density was 951 people per square mile . There were 425,962 housing units at an average density of 405 per square mile...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
where she worked as an Assistant State Attorney. Bondi resigned this position to seek the office of Attorney General of Florida. She has made guest appearances on Scarborough Country
Scarborough Country
Scarborough Country was an opinion/analysis show broadcast on MSNBC Monday - Thursday at 9 P.M. ET. It was hosted by former congressman Joe Scarborough....
with Joe Scarborough
Joe Scarborough
Charles Joseph "Joe" Scarborough is an American cable news and talk radio host, lawyer, author, and former politician. He is currently the host of Morning Joe on MSNBC, and previously hosted Scarborough Country on the same channel...
and various other cable news programming on MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
and worked for Fox News
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
as a legal analyst.
Bondi prosecuted former Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player Dwight Gooden
Dwight Gooden
Dwight Eugene Gooden , nicknamed "Doc Gooden" or "Dr. K", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He was one of the most dominant and feared pitchers in the National League in the middle and late 1980s.-Career:...
for violating the terms of his probation and for substance abuse. Bondi also prosecuted the Martin Anderson death defendants.
Attorney General
On December 1, 2009, Bondi officially announced that she would be running for Florida Attorney General. On August 24, 2010 she won the Republican primary for this post, narrowly defeating lieutenant governorLieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
Jeff Kottkamp
Jeff Kottkamp
Jeffrey "Jeff" Kottkamp is an American politician from Florida, and served as the state's 17th Lieutenant Governor, from 2007 to 2011....
in a 3-way race. On November 2, 2010 she defeated Democratic nominee Dan Gelber
Dan Gelber
Dan Gelber is a former prosecutor, a candidate for Attorney General of Florida and is a member of the Florida Senate, representing the 35th District. He is a Democrat and previously represented the 106th District of the Florida House from 2000 - 2008...
, to become the Attorney General of the State of Florida
Florida Attorney General
The Florida Attorney General is an elected cabinet official in the U.S. state of Florida. The attorney general serves as the chief legal officer of the state....
. She was endorsed by former Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
Governor and 2008 vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
during the primary.
Bondi is the lead attorney general in the lawsuit seeking to overturn Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is a United States federal statute signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010. The law is the principal health care reform legislation of the 111th United States Congress...
(PPACA), Florida et al v. United States Department of Health and Human Services
Florida et al v. United States Department of Health and Human Services
Florida et al v. United States Department of Health and Human Services is a lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida by the State of Florida against the United States Department of Health and Human Services seeking to nullify the Patient Protection and...
. In the lawsuit the State of Florida and 26 other states have argued that the individual mandate provision of the PPACA violates the Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
.
She retained Scott Makar
Scott Makar
Scott Douglas Makar is an American lawyer and college professor who has been the Florida Solicitor General since 2007 and in that position, has argued five cases before the United States Supreme Court.-Early years:...
as Florida Solicitor General
Florida Solicitor General
The Solicitor General of Florida or Florida Solicitor General is the top appellate solicitor for the U.S. State of Florida. It is an appointed position in the Office of the Florida Attorney General and the individual serves at the pleasure of the Attorney General...
; he has held that position since 2007.
Some former lawyers of the attorney general's office have criticized their former employer for preferential treatment of corporations and law firms. Critics have also charged that two of Bondi's assistant district attorneys that were investigation foreclosure fraud were admonished and then forced out of their jobs. They also point out that Bondi has accepted campaign contributions from companies under investigation by the attorney general's office. Through a spokeswoman Bondi responded, "We aggressively prosecute wrongdoing regardless of the subject of the investigation."
External links
- Pam Bondi for Attorney General – Official campaign website
- Pam Bondi on Project Vote SmartProject Vote SmartProject Vote Smart is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States...
- Pam Bondi quotes