Janet Reno

Janet Reno (born July 21, 1938) was the 78th Attorney General of the United States (1993–2001), and was the first (and, so far, only) woman to hold that post. She was nominated by President Bill Clinton on February 11, 1993 and confirmed on March 11.

Biography

Reno's father, Henry Reno, immigrated to the United States from Denmark and for forty-three years was a police reporter for the Miami Herald. Jane Wood, Reno's mother, raised her children and then became an investigative reporter for the Miami News. Janet Reno has three younger siblings.

Related Topics:
Denmark - Miami Herald

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Reno attended public school in Miami-Dade County, Florida, where she was a debating champion at Coral Gables High School. In 1956 Reno enrolled at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where she majored in chemistry, became president of the Women's Self Government Association, and earned her room and board.

Related Topics:
Miami-Dade County, Florida - Coral Gables - 1956 - Cornell University - Ithaca, New York - Chemistry - Women's Self Government Association

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In 1960 Reno enrolled at Harvard Law School, one of only sixteen women in a class of more than 500 students. She received her LL.B. from Harvard three years later. Despite her Harvard degree, she had difficulty obtaining work as a lawyer because she was a woman.

Related Topics:
1960 - Harvard Law School - LL.B.

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In 1971 Reno was named staff director of the Judiciary Committee of the Florida House of Representatives. She helped revise the Florida court system. In 1973 she accepted a position with the Dade County State's Attorney's Office. She left the state's attorney's office in 1976 to become a partner in a private law firm.

Related Topics:
1971 - Judiciary Committee - Florida House of Representatives - 1973 - 1976

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In 1978, Reno was appointed State Attorney General for Dade County (now called Miami-Dade County). She was elected to the Office of State Attorney in November 1978 and was returned to office by the voters four more times. She helped reform the juvenile justice system and pursued delinquent fathers for child support payments and established the Miami Drug Court.

Related Topics:
1978 - Attorney General - Miami Drug Court

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In 1993 Reno was nominated and confirmed Attorney General under Bill Clinton, after previous nominee Zoe Baird had confirmation problems when it was revealed she had previously employed an undocumented immigrant as nanny. Reno remained Attorney General for all of Clinton's presidency, outlasting most other cabinet members.

Related Topics:
1993 - Zoe Baird - Cabinet

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During her term, Reno attracted more controversy than any of Clinton's other cabinet members. While Clinton could steer a middle ground between his Democratic supporters and the Republican Congress on economic issues, Reno's job was at the center of a variety of intractable cultural conflicts. This made her a lightning rod for criticism of the Clinton Administration from the right, who often perceived the federal government as a threat to their fundamental freedoms.

Related Topics:
Democratic - Republican - Congress

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In 1995 Reno revealed that she has Parkinson's disease, an incurable degenerative illness that causes muscular stiffness and involuntary trembling.

Related Topics:
1995 - Parkinson's disease

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Reno ran for Governor of Florida in 2002, but lost in the Democratic primary to Bill McBride. Voting problems arose in the election, and she did not concede defeat until a week later.

Related Topics:
2002 - Bill McBride

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