imported>JJMC89 bot III: Moving :Category:United States Attorneys for the Western District of Michigan to :Category:United States attorneys for the Western District of Michigan per Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Log/2025 April 1#Category:United States Attorneys

2025-04-14T08:15:46Z

Moving Category:United States Attorneys for the Western District of Michigan to Category:United States attorneys for the Western District of Michigan per Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Log/2025 April 1#Category:United States Attorneys

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{{Short description|American lawyer (born 1943)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Margaret Chiara
| image = Margaret Chiara.jpg
| office = [[United States Attorney]] for the [[United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan|Western District of Michigan]]
| president = [[George W. Bush]]
| term_start = October 23, 2001
| term_end = March 16, 2007
| predecessor = Michael H. Dettmer
| successor = Russell Stoddard (interim)
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1943}}
| birth_place = [[Brooklyn, New York]]
| death_date =
| death_place =
| alma_mater = [[Fordham University]]<br>[[Pace University]]<br>[[Rutgers Law School]]
| profession = Attorney
| party = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| spouse =
| children =
}}
'''Margaret M. Chiara''' is a former [[United States Attorney]] for the Western District of Michigan. A Republican, she served from 2001 until she was dismissed in the [[2006 dismissal of U.S. attorneys|dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy]] on March 16, 2007.<ref>{{Cite web |title=United States Attorney's Office, Western District of Michigan |url=https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdmi/margaret-m-chiara |access-date=March 6, 2023 |website=Justice.gov}}</ref> She had been Michigan's first female U.S. attorney.<ref name=AP-resign>{{cite news | title=Michigan U.S. attorney announces resignation | date=March 27, 2007 | publisher=AP | url=http://www.buffalolawjournal.com/article_view.asp?IDNO=31200719 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312085425/http://www.buffalolawjournal.com/article_view.asp?IDNO=31200719 | archive-date=March 12, 2007 }}</ref><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com] | FEB. 24, 2007 | Eighth U.S. Attorney Dismissed From Post | DAVID JOHNSTON | [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/24/washington/24attorney.html]</ref>

==Early career==
Chiara received her undergraduate degree from [[Fordham University]], a Master's degree from [[Pace University]] and her J.D. from [[Rutgers University Law School]]. For twelve years she was a teacher and educational administrator, with a masters in administration from [[Pace University]] and an undergraduate degree is from [[Fordham University]]. Her interest in education law and school finance reform led to [[Rutgers University|Rutgers Law School]]. Chiara was an associate with French and Lawrence, a private law firm, in [[Cassopolis, Michigan]] from 1979 to 1982. Subsequently, she was twice elected Cass County Prosecutor, and was the first woman elected to serve as president of the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan (PAAM). From 1987 to 1998, she was Administrator of the Trial Court Assessment Commission. Then in 1999, Ms. Chiara joined the staff of the Office of the Chief Justice at the [[Michigan Supreme Court]] as the Policy and Planning Director.<ref name="Bush White House Appointment PR">{{cite press release|last=Fleischer|first=Ari|title= President Bush to Nominate One Individual to Serve in His Administration and Six Individuals to Serve as United States Attorneys|date=August 3, 2001|access-date=April 18, 2020|publisher=[[White House Office of the Press Secretary]]|url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2001/08/text/20010803-14.html}}</ref>

==Career as U.S. Attorney and dismissal==
{{main|2006 dismissal of U.S. attorneys}}
{{2006 dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy}}
Ms. Chiara was nominated to the position of [[United States Attorney]] on September 4, 2001, by President [[George W. Bush]] to succeed [[Michael Dettmer]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Kolker|first=Ken|title=U.S. attorney's office ran for 12 seasons on drama of ambitions, strife, rumors|date=October 5, 2008|newspaper=[[The Grand Rapids Press]]|access-date=April 18, 2020|url=https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2008/10/us_attorneys_office_ran_for_12.html}}</ref> Chiara was unanimously confirmed by the [[United States Senate]] on October 23, 2001. On March 23, 2007, the ''[[New York Times]]'' reported that Chiara was told by a senior Justice Department official that she was being removed to make way for a new attorney that the Bush administration wanted to groom. "To say it was about politics may not be pleasant, but at least it is truthful," Chiara said. "Poor performance was not a truthful explanation."<ref name=Lipton20070323>{{cite web|access-date=2007-03-23
|author=Lipton, Eric |work=New York Times |date=March 23, 2007 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/23/washington/23chiara.html?ref=washington&pagewanted=print
|title=U.S. Attorney in Michigan Disputes Reason for Removal}}</ref>

AP reported that during her tenure, "the jurisdiction has seen a 15 percent increase in felony prosecutions and convictions. She developed an attorney training and mentoring program that now serves as a national model, her office said."<ref name=AP-resign/>

==References==

{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041101220714/http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/miw/usattorney.html |date=November 1, 2004 |title=Official DOJ Biography of Margaret Chiara }}, January 11, 2007

{{Michigan Women's Hall of Fame}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chiara, Margaret}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy]]
[[Category:1956 births]]
[[Category:United States attorneys for the Western District of Michigan]]
[[Category:American women lawyers]]
[[Category:American lawyers]]

Margaret Chiara - Revision history

imported>JJMC89 bot III: Moving :Category:United States Attorneys for the Western District of Michigan to :Category:United States attorneys for the Western District of Michigan per Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Log/2025 April 1#Category:United States Attorneys