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Martha Coakley

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Martha Mary Coakley
46th Massachusetts Attorney General
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 17, 2007
Preceded byThomas Reilly
Middlesex County District Attorney
In office
1999–2007
Preceded byThomas Reilly
Succeeded byGerald Leone
Personal details
Bornalma-materWilliams College
(1953-07-14) July 14, 1953 (age 71)
Pittsfield, Massachusetts[1]
Diedalma-materWilliams College
Resting placealma-materWilliams College
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseThomas F O'Connor Jr.
Parent
Residence(s)Medford, Massachusetts
ProfessionLawyer

Martha Mary Coakley[1] (born July 14, 1953) is the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Democratic candidate in the special election‎ to fill the Class 1 seat in the United States Senate made vacant by the death of Senator Ted Kennedy.[2] Prior to serving as Attorney General, she was District Attorney of Middlesex County, Massachusetts from 1999 to 2007.

Personal life

Coakley was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts to Edward J. and Phillys E. Coakley (née Laffey).[1] A year later, she moved with her parents to North Adams. There, Coakley attended St. Joseph's School and Drury High School, graduating from the latter in June 1971.[1] Coakley currently resides in Medford. She is married to Thomas F. O'Connor, Jr.

Early career

Coakley received a B.A., cum laude from Williams College in 1975. She received a J.D. from Boston University School of Law in 1979.

In the summer of 1978, while a law student, Coakley clerked for the law firm of Donovan and O'Connor of Adams, Massachusetts.[1] After graduating from law school Coakley began work as an associate at the law firm of Parker, Coulter, Daley & White, and later practiced at Goodwin Procter — both in Boston, Massachusetts.

Assistant District Attorney

She joined the DA's office in 1986 as an Assistant District Attorney in the Lowell, Massachusetts District Court office. A year later, she was invited by the U.S. Justice Department to join its Boston Organized Crime Strike Force as a Special Attorney. Coakley returned to the District Attorney’s Office in 1989 and was appointed the Chief of the Child Abuse Prosecution Unit two years later.

In 1997, while serving under Middlesex County, Massachusetts District Attorney Tom Reilly, she led the courtroom prosecution of then 19 year-old English au pair Louise Woodward who was later convicted in the shaking death of eight month-old Matthew Eappen of Newton, Massachusetts.[3] The case received both national and international media attention, particularly in Woodward's home of Great Britain.

District Attorney

In December 1997, Coakley resigned her position, in order to campaign for District Attorney in the 54 cities and towns of Middlesex County. During her term as District Attorney, Coakley was recognized by Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the Massachusetts School of Law and the Frank J. Murray Inn of Court.[citation needed]

In November 2000, the Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts honored Coakley with its Leila J. Robinson Award for her contributions to the field of law. In June 2002—the year she was President of the Massachusetts District Attorney's Association—the YWCA Boston selected her as a member of its Academy of Women Achievers Class of 2002. [citation needed]

In 2001, Coakley successfully lobbied Gov. Jane Swift to deny clemency to Gerald Amirault (a defendant in the Fells Acres Day Care Center preschool trial, whom many regarded as a victim of day care sex abuse hysteria. Prior to this, clemency had been recommended unanimously by the Massachusetts Parole Board.[4][5]

In 2004, she received the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce’s Pinnacle Award for Excellence in Management in Government. She also received the Eleanor Roosevelt Award from the Massachusetts Democratic Party in 2006. A former president of the Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts, she has served on the Board of Directors at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Middlesex Partnerships for Youth, Inc.[citation needed]

Attorney General

Coakley was elected Massachusetts Attorney General in the 2006 general election as a Democrat, defeating Republican Larry Frisoli with 73% of the vote. She was sworn in on January 17, 2007. Coakley is the first woman to serve as Attorney General in Massachusetts.

During the Aqua Teen Hunger Force bomb scare in January 2007, Coakley was widely quoted in the press defending the reaction of Boston's emergency services.[6] Small electronic signs advertising a cartoon had been mistaken for bombs; Massachusetts authorities halted traffic on two bridges and closed the Charles River before realizing the signs were harmless. Coakley defended the precautions because the LED signs had looked suspicious: "It had a very sinister appearance, it had a battery behind it, and wires." [7]

Both were given plea bargains, received community service and apologized publicly.[8]

In May 2007, Coakley testified before the Massachusetts State Legislature in support of the passage of a "buffer zone" law that created a 35-foot buffer around entrances and driveways of reproductive health care facilities that offer abortion services.[9][10] The law was signed into effect by Governor Deval Patrick on November 13, 2007 and challenged by opponents.[11]

After the law was struck down by a federal court judge, Coakley successfully defended the law before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit on July 8, 2008.[citation needed]

In September 2008, Coakley worked with Apple Inc. and the National Federation of the Blind to have Apple redesign the popular iTunes software, so it complies with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as the Massachusetts Equal Rights Act.[12]

On February 5, 2009, Coakley led an 18 state coalition, as well as the Corporation Counsel for the City of New York and the City Solicitor of Baltimore,[13] urging the Environmental Protection Agency to take action in response to the 2007 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Massachusetts v. EPA. Though the Supreme Court ruled that the EPA did have the authority to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act, the Agency had yet to make an official decision on whether it believes that greenhouse gas emissions pose dangers to public health or welfare.[14]

Coakley inherited litigation of the fatal 2006 Big Dig ceiling collapse from outgoing Attorney General Tom Reilly in 2007. On March 26, 2009 she settled the final lawsuit pertaining to the incident.[15] Through eight lawsuits attached to the incident, Coakley's office recovered $610.625 million on behalf of the State of Massachusetts.[16]

On July 8, 2009, Coakley filed a suit,[17] challenging the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act. The suit claims that Congress "overstepped its authority, undermined states' efforts to recognize marriages between same-sex couples, and codified an animus towards gay and lesbian people."[18] Massachusetts is the first state to challenge the legislation.

In 2009, Coakley won settlements of $60 million from Goldman Sachs [19] and $10 million from Fremont Investment & Loan [20] for their abuse of subprime loans and lending.[21]

Controversies

Coakley has refused to investigate Thomas M. Menino, Mayor of Boston, and his office for allegedly violating laws in regards to destruction of public e-mail records. Coakley denies all accusations of misconduct.[22]

She also declined to reprimand the state's District Attorneys in relation to false statements they allegedly made regarding the effects of the state's voter approved Massachusetts Sensible Marijuana Policy Initiative in an attempt to defeat the ballot question, as well as allegations the District Attorneys misused state resources (website) and failed to file as designated ballot committee in a timely manner while receiving contributions as required by law while challenging the initiative.[23].

The statements by the District Attorneys included allegedly inaccurate and misleading warnings in an effort to defeat the law, such as that if the law passed "any person may carry and use marijuana at any time." When declining to pursue the case Coakley's office responded with "nothing in the proposed law explicitly forbids public use of the drug". This basically ignores the fact that the law still levies a $100 fine and confiscation for adults, as well as additional mandatory community service for minors for the act of possession, and in order to use the drug you would need to possess the drug, as well as the fact the law as passed allows cities to pass its own ordinances to further fine public consumption if needed.[24]

Coakley's actions as District Attorney in the sexual abuse case of a 23-month old girl in 2005 have drawn sharp criticism. [25] Coakley, who oversaw the Grand Jury for the case, did not indict the individual, a Somerville Police Officer. Later, after a criminal complaint was filed by the parents of the victim, she requested that he be released without cash bail. The DA succeeding Coakley subsequently secured a conviction awarding two life sentences for the crime. Coakley has defended her actions in this case [26] , saying she acted appropriately given the evidence that was available at the time.

Coakley received sharp criticism from major newspapers in Massachusetts for failure to recommend commutation for Gerald Amirault who is widely cited as a falsely accused party in Day care sex abuse hysteria. Despite releasing two women from the family from custody, Amirault was denied commutation, which critics cite as an example of a double standard.[27]

The failure to file as a ballot committee allegedly stems from the fact state records show the district attorneys began raising money as early as July 18, 2008 but did not file a statement of organization or any of the appropriate financial disclosures with the state until Sept. 5, 2008. [28]

Coakley was herself a member of The Coalition for Safe Streets, the political action group eventually formed by the District Attorneys to fight the ballot question but did not feel it was necessary to recuse herself from any decisions based on any possible conflict of interest grounds.[29]

United States Senate campaign

Main article: United States Senate special election in Massachusetts, 2010

On September 1, 2009, Coakley was the first candidate to take out nomination papers to run in a special election to succeed the late Edward M. Kennedy in the United States Senate in the special election in 2010.[30] Two days later, on September 3, Coakley officially announced her candidacy on her website.[31] She won the Democratic primary on December 8, 2009.[32] Her opponents are Republican Scott P. Brown and Libertarian Joseph L. Kennedy (no relation to the Kennedy family). Coakley was endorsed by The Boston Globe on January 14, 2010.[33]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Martha Coakley's 1979 bar application" (PDF). Retrieved 2009-12-12.
  2. ^ "WHDH-TV - Coakley announces candidacy for Kennedy seat". .whdh.com. Retrieved 2009-12-12.
  3. ^ "In High-Profile Prosecutions, Martha Coakley Made Her Name", Accessed October 6th, 2009 [1]
  4. ^ "Martha Coakley: Too immoral for Teddy Kennedy's seat". Wnd.com. Retrieved 2009-12-11.
  5. ^ "Justice, Not So Swift". Thenation.com. Retrieved 2009-12-11.
  6. ^ Andrew Kantor (2007-02-16). "Silly fear of technology must be overcome". USA Today. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
  7. ^ "Two held after ad campaign triggers Boston bomb scare". CNN.com. 2007-02-01. Retrieved 2009-12-12.
  8. ^ "Pair Charged In Marketing Stunt Reach Plea Deal". WBZTV.com. CBS Broadcasting. Associated Press. 2007-05-11. Retrieved 2007-12-19.
  9. ^ http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=cagopressrelease&L=1&L0=Home&sid=Cago&b=pressrelease&f=2009_07_09_buffer_zone_decision&csid=Cago
  10. ^ Estes, Andrea. (May 17, 2007). "A move to expand buffers at clinics" The Boston Globe.'.' Retrieved September 23, 2009.
  11. ^ Wangsness, Lisa. (November 14, 2007). "New law expands abortion buffer zone" The Boston Globe.'.' Retrieved September 23, 2009.
  12. ^ Bray, Hiawatha (September 27, 2008). "Coakley, Apple agree on iTunes access for blind" The Boston Globe.'.' Retrieved September 25, 2009.
  13. ^ Martha Coakley (2007-04-02). "letter to EPA". Mass.gov. Retrieved 2009-12-12.
  14. ^ McConville, Christine (February 5, 2009). "AG urges EPA to regulate greenhouse gases" The Boston Herald.'.' Retrieved September 25, 2009.
  15. ^ Martha Coakley. "Big Dig press release". Mass.gov. Retrieved 2009-12-12.
  16. ^ Globe Staff (March 26, 2009). "With two final settlements, Big Dig tunnel litigation ends" The Boston Globe.'.' Retrieved September 25, 2009.
  17. ^ Martha Coakley (2009-07-07). "''Commonwealth v. United States Department of Health and Human Services''". Mass.gov. Retrieved 2009-12-12.
  18. ^ Finucane, Martin (2009-07-08). "Mass. challenges federal Defense of Marriage Act". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  19. ^ McKim, Jenifer B. (May 11, 2009). "State reaches $60m subprime deal with Goldman Sachs" The Boston Globe.'.' Retrieved September 23, 2009.
  20. ^ Boston Globe Business Team. (June 9, 2009). Coakley reaches settlement in subprime case" The Boston Globe.'.' Retrieved September 23, 2009.
  21. ^ Martha Coakley (2009-05-11). "Goldman Sachs Settlement press release". Mass.gov. Retrieved 2009-12-12.
  22. ^ "Martha Coakley Cyber-steps Menino Controversy". Boston Herald.
  23. ^ http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/09/18/supporters_of_marijuana_ballot_question_lodge_complaint/ Supporters of marijuana ballot question lodge complaint
  24. ^ http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/10/01/ex_official_indicted_on_larceny_charges/ Coakley rejects marijuana group's case
  25. ^ Rezendes, Michael (01/06/2010). "Some Saw Coakley as lax on '05 rape case".{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) The Boston Herald
  26. ^ Rezendes, Michael (01/06/2010). "Some Saw Coakley as lax on '05 rape case".{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) The Boston Herald
  27. ^ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704281204575003341640657862.html
  28. ^ http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/09/18/supporters_of_marijuana_ballot_question_lodge_complaint/ Supporters of marijuana ballot question lodge complaint
  29. ^ http://thephoenix.com/boston/news/68902-blunt-object/ Blunt object - The Boston Phoenix
  30. ^ "Martha Coakley To Seek Kennedy's Senate Seat (AP)". Huffington Post.
  31. ^ "Martha Coakley Announces Her Candidacy for US Senate".
  32. ^ "AG Coakley wins Democratic race for Kennedy seat".
  33. ^ Coakley for Senate editorial, The Boston Globe, January 14, 2010
Template:Incumbent succession box
Legal offices
Preceded by District Attorney of Middlesex County, Massachusetts
1999 – 2007 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic Party nominee for United States Senator from Massachusetts
(Class 1)
2010 		Succeeded by
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