Paul J. Fishman
Encyclopedia
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Paul J. Fishman (born February 26, 1957) is an American lawyer who currently serves as the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey
. He was sworn in on October 14, 2009 along with his First Assistant U.S. Attorney, Gil Childers.
in 1957. He grew up in River Edge
, Bergen County
, New Jersey
and attended River Dell High School.
After graduating magna cum laude from Princeton University
with a B.A.
in 1978, he attended Harvard Law School
, where he was Editor of the Harvard Law Review
from 1980 to 1981 and Managing Editor from 1981 to 1982. After receiving his J.D.
from Harvard in 1982, he served as law clerk to Edward Roy Becker
, a judge on the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
, from 1982 to 1983.
In 1983, Fishman was admitted to the bar in the state of New Jersey and the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
. That same year, he joined the office of the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey
as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, serving in that position until 1987. He served as Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division from 1987 to 1989 and as Chief of the Criminal Division from 1989 to 1991. He then served as First Assistant U.S. Attorney from 1991 to 1994 under Michael Chertoff
.
Fishman joined the United States Department of Justice
under Janet Reno
in 1994 as Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General
. He was named Associate Deputy Attorney General in 1995, serving until 1997.
In 1997, he became a partner at Friedman Kaplan Seiler & Adelman. His clients included Carla Katz
, the former president of the Communications Workers of America
who dated New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine
, and Encap Golf Holdings
, a company that was contracted to build golf courses and homes on remediated landfill
s in the New Jersey Meadowlands
. Both of these clients were targets of investigations by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
On June 4, 2009, Fishman was nominated by President Barack Obama
to be U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey. He was sworn into office on October 14, 2009, succeeding Acting U.S. Attorney Ralph J. Marra, who had served after the resignation of Christopher J. Christie
in December 2008 to run for Governor of New Jersey
.
Fishman is a registered Democrat
and resides in Montclair
. He is married with two children. He is also a board member of the Yogi Berra
Museum and Learning Center in Little Falls
.
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Paul J. Fishman (born February 26, 1957) is an American lawyer who currently serves as the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey
United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey
The U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey is the chief federal law enforcement officer in New Jersey. Paul J. Fishman was sworn into office as U.S. Attorney on October 14, 2009 after having been nominated by President Barack Obama. He succeeded Ralph J. Marra, who served as Acting U.S....
. He was sworn in on October 14, 2009 along with his First Assistant U.S. Attorney, Gil Childers.
Biography
Fishman was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1957. He grew up in River Edge
River Edge, New Jersey
River Edge is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 11,340.The community was incorporated as the borough of Riverside by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on June 30, 1894, from portions of Midland Township, at the...
, Bergen County
Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and attended River Dell High School.
After graduating magna cum laude from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
with a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1978, he attended 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...
, where he was Editor of the Harvard Law Review
Harvard Law Review
The Harvard Law Review is a journal of legal scholarship published by an independent student group at Harvard Law School.-Overview:According to the 2008 Journal Citation Reports, the Review is the most cited law review and has the second-highest impact factor in the category "law" after the...
from 1980 to 1981 and Managing Editor from 1981 to 1982. After receiving his J.D.
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 Harvard in 1982, he served as law clerk to Edward Roy Becker
Edward Roy Becker
For the Distinguished Service Cross recipient, see Edward Becker .Edward Roy Becker was a United States federal judge on the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit....
, a judge on the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts for the following districts:* District of Delaware* District of New Jersey...
, from 1982 to 1983.
In 1983, Fishman was admitted to the bar in the state of New Jersey and the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
The United States District Court for the District of New Jersey is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of New Jersey....
. That same year, he joined the office of the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey
United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey
The U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey is the chief federal law enforcement officer in New Jersey. Paul J. Fishman was sworn into office as U.S. Attorney on October 14, 2009 after having been nominated by President Barack Obama. He succeeded Ralph J. Marra, who served as Acting U.S....
as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, serving in that position until 1987. He served as Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division from 1987 to 1989 and as Chief of the Criminal Division from 1989 to 1991. He then served as First Assistant U.S. Attorney from 1991 to 1994 under Michael Chertoff
Michael Chertoff
Michael Chertoff was the second United States Secretary of Homeland Security under President George W. Bush and co-author of the USA PATRIOT Act. He previously served as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, as a federal prosecutor, and as assistant U.S. Attorney...
.
Fishman joined the United States Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
under Janet Reno
Janet Reno
Janet Wood Reno is a former Attorney General of the United States . She was nominated by President Bill Clinton on February 11, 1993, and confirmed on March 11...
in 1994 as Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General
United States Deputy Attorney General
United States Deputy Attorney General is the second-highest-ranking official in the United States Department of Justice. In the United States federal government, the Deputy Attorney General oversees the day-to-day operation of the Department of Justice, and may act as Attorney General during the...
. He was named Associate Deputy Attorney General in 1995, serving until 1997.
In 1997, he became a partner at Friedman Kaplan Seiler & Adelman. His clients included Carla Katz
Carla Katz
Carla A. Katz served as president of Local 1034 of the Communications Workers of America from 1999 until 2008, representing 16,000 public and private sector workers in the state of New Jersey...
, the former president of the Communications Workers of America
Communications Workers of America
Communications Workers of America is the largest communications and media labor union in the United States representing about 550,000 members in both the private and public sectors. The union has 27 locals in Canada via CWA-SCA Canada representing about 8,000 members...
who dated New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine
Jon Corzine
Jon Stevens Corzine is the former CEO of Goldman Sachs and of MF Global, and a one time American politician, who served as the 54th Governor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2010. A Democrat, Corzine served five years of a six-year U.S. Senate term representing New Jersey before being elected Governor...
, and Encap Golf Holdings
EnCap
EnCap was a proposal to build golf courses and homes on remediated landfills in the New Jersey Meadowlands in three communities in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States: Lyndhurst, North Arlington and Rutherford....
, a company that was contracted to build golf courses and homes on remediated landfill
Landfill
A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...
s in the New Jersey Meadowlands
New Jersey Meadowlands
New Jersey Meadowlands, also known as the Hackensack Meadowlands after the primary river flowing through it, is a general name for the large ecosystem of wetlands in northeast New Jersey in the United States. The Meadowlands are known for being the site of large landfills and decades of...
. Both of these clients were targets of investigations by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
On June 4, 2009, Fishman 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 be U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey. He was sworn into office on October 14, 2009, succeeding Acting U.S. Attorney Ralph J. Marra, who had served after the resignation of Christopher J. Christie
Christopher J. Christie
Christopher James "Chris" Christie is the 55th and current Governor of New Jersey. Upon his election to the governorship in November 2009, Christie became the first Republican to win a statewide election in New Jersey in 12 years. In 2011, he considered entering the race for the Republican...
in December 2008 to run for Governor of New Jersey
Governor of New Jersey
The Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
.
Fishman is a registered Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
and resides in Montclair
Montclair, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,977 people, 15,020 households, and 9,687 families residing in the township. The population density was 6,183.6 people per square mile . There were 15,531 housing units at an average density of 2,464.0 per square mile...
. He is married with two children. He is also a board member of the Yogi Berra
Yogi Berra
Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra is a former American Major League Baseball catcher, outfielder, and manager. He played almost his entire 19-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
Museum and Learning Center in Little Falls
Little Falls, New Jersey
Little Falls is a township in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the township population was 10,855. It is located about from New York City....
.