Melinda Haag
United States Attorney for the Northern District of California
In office
2010–2016
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byJoseph Russoniello[1]
Succeeded byDavid L. Anderson
Personal details
Born1961 (age 62–63)
San Diego, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of California, San Diego (BA)
University of California, Berkeley (JD)

Melinda L. Haag[2] (born 1961) is a San Francisco-based litigator and former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California.[3]

Early life and education

In 1983, Haag graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a Bachelor's degree in Political Science. In 1987, she received her Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law.[4]

Career

Melinda Haag spent 14 years in private law practice and nine years as a federal prosecutor in Los Angeles and San Francisco prior to her appointment as U.S. Attorney in 2010. From 1989-1993, she served in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles and then went into private practice at the San Francisco firm Landels Ripley & Diamond. She joined the U.S. Attorney's Office in San Francisco in 1999 before joining the San Francisco office of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe.[5]

In August 2010, Haag was appointed to the Northern District of California U.S. Attorney's Office by President Barack Obama and unanimously confirmed without debate by the United States Senate.[1] Her appointment marked the first time in 90 years that a female U.S. Attorney represented the district.[5] She served in that position for five years, stepping down in September 2015.[6]

Haag served as co-chair of the White Collar Crime Subcommittee of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee[7] and was a member of the Cybersecurity and Health Care Fraud Subcommittees, where she collaborated with U.S. Attorneys nationwide on the development and implementation of national policies and practices regarding the government's approach to economic crimes and cybersecurity.

On January 13, 2016, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe announced that Melinda Haag would be rejoining the firm as head of its Global Litigation Practice beginning on March 1, 2016.[8][9]

Closures of medical marijuana dispensaries

A controversial issue during Haag's term involved federal actions against medical cannabis suppliers when she authorized her office to file complaints against several landlords that allowed their properties to be used for the distribution of marijuana by medical marijuana dispensaries. Marijuana advocates claimed the complaints were part of a campaign Haag waged against medical marijuana operations in California, despite assurances from President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder that distribution operations operating in compliance with state law would not be targeted by the Department of Justice.

In an interview with KQED's Michael Montgomery, Haag cited concerns from constituents about the negative impact the marijuana industry was having in their communities. "Marijuana is illegal under federal law and I felt like I had to do something to respond to those members of my community that don't support it and don't support the impact they believe it's having," said Haag.[10]

References

  1. 1 2 "Melinda Haag Confirmed As U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California". August 5, 2010. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Meet Melinda L. Haag". April 12, 2010. Archived from the original on April 13, 2010. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  3. ↑ "HON. Melinda Haag". Archived from the original on May 19, 2011. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Meet the U.S. Attorney". US Attorney for the Northern District of California. Archived from the original on 22 November 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. 1 2 "Senate Confirms Melinda Haag '87 as New U.S. Attorney in California". University of California Berkeley Law. 18 August 2010. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  6. ↑ "Melinda Haag, top federal prosecutor in S.F., is stepping down". July 29, 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  7. ↑ "Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch Appoints U.S. Attorney Wagner to Co-chair White Collar/Fraud Subcommittee". The United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California. Department of Justice. 14 May 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  8. ↑ "Former U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag to Return to Orrick to Lead Global Litigation Practice". Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  9. ↑ Sullivan, Casey (21 January 2016). "Melinda Haag on Living in the Present and Being a Mother in Big Law". Bloomberg. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  10. ↑ Brooks, Jon (March 15, 2012). "Interview w/ US Attorney Haag on Pot Operations: 'If it's close to children, that's a line we're going to draw'". KQED News. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
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