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Prosecutor in Louima case recalls her Durham roots
The News & Observer - Monday, May 31, 1999
Author: JOHN SULLIVAN, STAFF WRITER
DURHAM — As prosecutors begin closing arguments this week in their case against four New York City police officers accused of torturing a Haitian immigrant, Loretta E. Lynch will be standing before the jury arguing principles she learned here.
Lynch , a chief assistant U.S. attorney, said in an interview this week that although she went to Harvard-Radcliffe College and later Harvard School of Law, much of what made her love justice came from listening to her father as pastor of White Rock Baptist Church on Fayetteville Street in Durham .
“The church was a microcosm of the city where people were acting out their need to control or need to serve and help people,” Lynch said. “In church it all got stripped away down to the barest personality.”
After church, Lynch said, her father would tell his three children tales of her grandfather, Augustus Lynch , and his dedication to equality.
“In those days, if you were black, there was no due process,” said Lynch , who was born in Greensboro and brought up in Durham . “They just decided you were in trouble and you would have to just leave the state. For those who were unjustly persecuted, my grandfather would hide them. I can tell you that because the statute has run out on harboring criminals.”
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Police trial just another case for prosecutor
Herald-Sun, The ( Durham , NC) - Wednesday, May 26, 1999
Author: GEOFFREY M. GRAYBEAL The Herald-Sun
A longtime Durham resident is propelling justice in a New York courtroom.
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Lynch ‘s fondness for the law grew stronger as she entered college and watched colleagues enter careers in the profession.
“I had several friends that were lawyers and they felt that they were doing something very positive,” she said. “I feel that way as well.”
Lynch is a 1981 graduate of Harvard Radcliffe College and the Harvard School of Law in 1984.
She was an associate in the law firm of Cahill, Gordon and Reindel in the Wall Street area of New York City before joining the U.S. Attorney’s office.
“She wanted to make an impact,” said Lorenzo Lynch . “This is her motivation. She put money aside.”
Emotional rewards
Loretta Lynch said working on Wall Street was intellectually rewarding, but her job as prosecutor provides emotional rewards.
She gains pleasure from participating in the entire judicial process and said she likes being involved in the investigation as well as the courtroom proceedings.
“I like being on what I view as the good guys’ side of the law,” she said.
Lorenzo Lynch has watched his daughter in action on several occasions.
“She’s tough in presentation and rebuttal,” he said. “She’s not theatrical. She doesn’t put on a show, but she’s hard-hitting.”
The steadfast prosecutor is no stranger to important cases, either.
In 1992, Lynch helped prosecute nine members of the Green Dragons, a Chinese gang that made Queens its stomping ground. Between 1986 and 1990, the Green Dragons ran illegal gambling and loan-sharking operations, pulled armed robberies, extorted cash from merchants and assaulted rival gangs. Thanks in part to the efforts of Lynch , nine gang members were convicted of racketeering and murder.
Lynch was pleased to have helped free an entire community from the grasp of terror.
“To see people come out from fear was really rewarding,” she said.
While proud of his daughter’s work, Lorenzo Lynch said he can’t help but feel some sympathy for the people she puts away.
“You start wondering what could we have done to help these people come out of the wilderness in human relations,” he said.
The former pastor said he understands all human beings have the potential to commit violence, but that he can’t fathom what prompts people to do such heinous things. “I have deep sympathy for the persons on trial,” he said. “I’m saddened by this trial.”
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Ex-Durham resident new U.S. attorney in New York
Herald-Sun, The (Durham, NC) - Monday, December 18, 2000
Author: From staff reports
Former Durham resident Loretta Lynch has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
Lynch , 41, was appointed by U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno to the post on an interim basis in July last year. She previously served as chief assistant attorney in the district. She was recommended to succeed Zachary Carter for the top post. The district, based in Brooklyn, also encompasses Queens, Staten Island and Long Island.
Lynch is the daughter of Lorenzo Lynch , longtime former pastor of White Rock Baptist Church in Durham, and his wife, Lorine.
Loretta Lynch was officially recommended for the position by Sen. Charles E. Schumer of New York, and President Bill Clinton nominated her to the Senate. The Senate confirmed her on Friday.
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http://time.com/3517062/ron-klain-history/
In a city where name recognition is synonymous with success, Ron Klain has made a virtue of being unknown. As Attorney General Janet Reno’s chief of staff, he is all but invisible to the public but recognized in Democratic circles as the man to have on your side in a political or legal fight. A rare mix of top-flight lawyer and savvy politician, Klain shepherded the nominations of Reno and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg through the Senate and steered the omnibus crime bill through the turbulent legislative process.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-attorney-general-lynch-20141107-story.html
Given Lynch’s inexperience with politics and Washington, it is possible the administration would team her with a Washington veteran as her deputy, someone like Ron Klain, a former chief of staff to Atty. Gen. Janet Reno and Vice Presidents Al Gore and Joe Biden. Obama recently named Klain to oversee the administration’s response to Ebola.
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/dec/30/nation/la-na-immigration30-2009dec30/2
December 30, 2009
White House prepares for immigration overhaul battle
The Obama administration is rallying allies to push for a package with better border security and a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants now in the U.S. The effort is sure to be a tough sell.
December 30, 2009
EXCERPT
As an aide to President Clinton, Emanuel co-wrote a memo on the political dynamics of immigration. He and Ron Klain, now the top aide to Vice President Joe Biden, wrote in 1994: “We must be seen as taking proper, forceful steps to seriously address the immigration problem without alienating the Hispanic and civil rights constituencies.