Jamie Gorelick

Jamie Gorelick is an American attorney and former government official who has held several high-ranking positions in the Justice Department and served on the 9/11 Commission. A graduate of Harvard University and Harvard Law School, she was the first woman to serve as Deputy Attorney General under Attorney General Janet Reno. Her career spans significant roles in the federal government, private practice at the firm WilmerHale, and corporate board service for companies like United Technologies and Amazon.

Early life and education

Born in Brooklyn, she was raised in a Jewish family in Great Neck on Long Island. She demonstrated academic prowess early, attending Harvard University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, graduating magna cum laude. She continued her education at Harvard Law School, receiving her Juris Doctor degree. During her time at Harvard Law School, she served as an editor for the Harvard Law Review, a prestigious position that signaled her legal acumen.

Legal career

Following law school, she began her legal career as a law clerk for Judge J. Skelly Wright of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. She then entered private practice, becoming a partner at the prominent Washington, D.C. law firm Miller, Cassidy, Larroca & Lewin. Her expertise in litigation and regulatory matters led her to the firm Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering, which later became WilmerHale. Her practice focused on complex civil and criminal matters, representing clients before various federal agencies and courts.

Government service

Her government career began in the mid-1990s when she was appointed by President Bill Clinton as Deputy Attorney General, the second-highest official in the Justice Department. In this role, she oversaw the department's day-to-day operations and worked closely with Attorney General Janet Reno. Prior to this, she served as General Counsel for the Department of Defense under Secretary William Perry. She also served as Vice Chair of the Fannie Mae board during the 1990s.

Corporate and board positions

After her government service, she returned to WilmerHale as a partner. She has held significant corporate governance roles, serving on the boards of major corporations including United Technologies, Amazon.com, Duke Energy, and the Johns Hopkins health system. She also served on the board of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum and was a member of the CIA's External Advisory Board.

9/11 Commission and controversies

She was appointed as a member of the 9/11 Commission, the bipartisan panel investigating the September 11 attacks. Her tenure became a subject of controversy when it was revealed that, as Deputy Attorney General, she authored a 1995 memorandum known as the "Gorelick Wall" that reinforced guidelines restricting information sharing between intelligence and law enforcement agencies. Critics, including Commission members John F. Lehman and James R. Thompson, argued this created a barrier that hindered terrorism prevention. She defended the policy as a necessary protection for civil liberties and did not recuse herself from the Commission's deliberations.

Personal life

She married Richard D. Wald, a former president of NBC News, in 1976. The couple has two children and resides in Washington, D.C.. She is actively involved in civic and cultural institutions, having served on the boards of the Kennedy Center and the Council on Foreign Relations. Her brother, Douglas Gorelick, is a noted Stanford University professor of geophysics.