| Honoree 2010 |
 Judge Michael B. Mukasey Attorney General of the United States
2007-2009 Michael B. Mukasey served as Attorney General of the United States from November 2007 to January 2009. He oversaw all activities of the Justice Department, and advised on critical issues of domestic and international law. From 1988 to 2006, he served as a district judge in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, becoming chief judge in 2000. While on the bench, he presided over the cases of Omar Abdel Rahman, the “blind sheikh,” and Jose Padilla, who was held as an unlawful enemy combatant and was believed to be planning to set off bombs in this country. Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, he was widely praised for the speed with which the U.S. courthouse, located just blocks from the site of the World Trade Center, returned to normal operation. Judge Mukasey also served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, in the Criminal Division, from 1972 to 1976, and as chief of that office's official corruption unit in 1975-1976. The honors he has received include the Federal Bar Council's Learned Hand Medal for Excellence in Federal Jurisprudence, an honorary Doctorate of Laws from Brooklyn Law School, and the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association's National Service Award for Leadership. Since February 2009, JudgeMukasey has been a partner in the NewYork firm of Debevoise & Plimpton, where he is a member of the litigation department and focuses his practice primarily on internal investigations, independent board reviews and corporate governance. He and his wife, Susan, have two children, Marc and Jessica, and two grandsons, William and Benjamin Barkoff.    
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