Former Attorney General Janet Reno - America's First Female Attorney General

How did a southern Florida girl, raised by parents who were both journalists, find her way into law school? Her champion status in debate and valedictorian at Coral Gables High School was likely a tell-tale sign to those who knew her that she would accomplish incredible things in her life and if it included the legal profession, well then the profession would be better for it.

Reno attended Cornell University in New York and quickly (during her first year) became the president of the Women's Self Government Association. She received her degree in chemistry; soon after reaching this milestone, she received her J.D. from Harvard Law School. She was one of only sixteen women out of 500 in her graduating class. The era was the 1960s and despite her impressive education, she discovered the disadvantage of being a woman, at least in the legal profession. She decided to return to her home state of Florida, where she was named staff director of the Judiciary Committee of the Florida House of Representatives. Eventually, she would choose private practice as a partner, but would return to politics when she was offered a position in the Dade County State's Attorney's Office. It was then she felt she could make a difference in reducing crime and violence while also ensuring a more diverse state government that was built on integrity and accountability.


While not President Clinton's first choice for the role of Attorney General, it became apparent rather early on that she was certainly a controversial choice. The Washington Post said in 1998 that, ''...few members of the Clinton administration have engendered as much controversy as Attorney General Janet Reno''. While many of her actions received praise, specifically her handling both the Oklahoma City bombing and the Unabomber, she was also hit hard by others in the way she handled Ruby Ridge and the Branch Davidian disaster in Waco, Texas. Couple these problems with the fact she worked for President Bill Clinton, the second president in U.S. history to be impeached, and it becomes obvious how her accomplishments can get lost in the fray.

More recently, Reno considered what the office of Florida governor would feel like. She ran in 2002; however, she lost in the Democratic primary. That year, Governor Jeb Bush would win the governor's seat and he would remain there until 2007. Ironically, ''Team Clinton/Reno'' was replaced by the Bush brothers, as George W. Bush would be elected after Clinton had served out his second four year term.

These days, Reno spends her time attending Super Bowl parties hosted by athletes, including football star Chad Ochocinco; she also curates music and spends a considerable amount of time in her role on the board of directors for the Innocence Project.