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Yesterday, longtime Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau announced that he would not seek re-election this fall. The 89-year-old, who was first elected to the position in 1975, told reporters, "Some people are slow to learn. It took me a long time to realize I was getting older... I recently realized I'm 25 years beyond normal retirement age. I decided I would not push my luck any further." Both the Daily News and Post report how his wife Lucinda Franks "repeated some questions for her hard-of-hearing husband." The Post adds that the press conference was "hastily scheduled" after it broke news of the retirement.
The NY Times looks at Morgenthau the man and his legacy, noting how he "projected the image of the aristocratic prosecutor, an unflappable, even shy sort," but with "ambition and reach [that] had a boundless and very New York feel...[Morgenthau] dragged the office into the 20th, and then the 21st century. He founded sex-crime and consumer-affairs units, instructed his prosecutors to chase after slumlords and added Spanish-speaking staff and interpreters at a time when such actions registered as at least mildly revolutionary. He revamped the legendary homicide bureau, shaking up sinecures that extended back to Thomas E. Dewey in the 1930s." And before working as Manhattan DA, he was a federal prosecutor appointed by JFK in 1961—the Daily News has a timeline of his career while the Post points out some of those prosecuted includes John Gotti, P. Diddy, Russell Crowe and Robert Chambers.
Morgenthau's tenure was hailed by city and state officials—and even a certain producer of a ubiquitous television program. Mayor Bloomberg said, "Robert Morgenthau has been a superb District Attorney, and few people have served the City longer or more ably. Over the past four decades, he has become a New York institution, and he has set the standard for district attorneys across the nation." Senator Charles Schumer said, "Every so often a giant in their field comes along and in the world of criminal justice. Robert Morgenthau was just that man." Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said, “He truly is a legend and he’s been a major force in law enforcement throughout the country, and we all know about his international reach as well. He’s just an icon.” And Law & Order producer Dick Wolf said, "He was the inspiration for the Adam Schiff character when I created 'Law & Order' and it worked out very well."
Friends say that Morgenthau plans to spend more time with his family after serving out this term (he'll turn 90 in August). Now the race is on for Manhattan DA hopefuls. Leslie Crocker-Snyder, who unsuccessfully ran against Morgenthau in previous primaries, will be a contender as will Morgenthau's "righthand man" Dan Castleman and Morgenthau's friend and former ADA Cyrus Vance, plus other former ADAs, like Richard Aborn. Newsday's Dan Janison wrote, "Politically, the departure means more than filling the job itself. The Manhattan DA's office has been the pace-setter in the region regarding specially-funded state programs that affect district attorneys' offices -- a budgeting operation that court insiders say has impact on Nassau, Suffolk, and the city's other four boroughs."
Morgenthau refused to discuss his successor, "I've crossed one bridge today. I'm not crossing a second bridge."
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Oh shit - Zombies! RUN!!!
Worse case scenario is Crocker-Snyder, the white shoe vigilante. She would be a disgrace to that office. Jack McCoy also has developed a mean streak so we have to leave him out as well. I will entertain recommendations.
True, true, true.
Crocker-Snyder is one of the worst excuses for a human being in NYC.
She is sadistic, vengeful, mean-spirited, and a liar. She is a rich bitch who disdains those who are not.
Court officers tell me how she would jokingly taunt and tease white males whom she sentenced to Attica about their likelihood of being RAPED in prison. I kid you not.
She is for the death penalty and only modified that position two years ago, when she saw it was an albatross in Manhattan. She now prevaricates like, "I am against the death penalty, except for certain crimes." WTF!
She is a hanging judge, penning a book, "25 to Life". Some mentality.
A truly evil woman.
Voters Beware!
What's your hangup with the woman?
From Wikipedia, which already has her as the front runner (Darn! They are fast!):
The New York Times, a long supporter of Morgenthau, endorsed Snyder in its August 30, 2005 editorial, "When To End An Era." The Times cited Snyder's "unquestioned ability and broad experience," "impressive energy" and "new ideas."
I think manhattanites are too smart to vote for
crocker snyder. she revels in other people's misfortunes.
not a nice person.
I voted for morgenthau because I knew Crocker was a crock.
yes, she was well financed and Morgie still won.
My hangup? Those who are familiar with her career know what a vicious person she is.
The wikipedia entry was set up by Crocker-Snyder, don't you know? She removes any negative references on it, anything that refers to her sadistic past.
Take her latest waffling - after 30 years of being pro-death penalty. Her Wikipedia entry claims: "She said she had done so {change her position} after learning more about wrongful convictions in capital cases."
Who is this sorry excuse for a human being trying to kid? Do you actually believe that bullsh*t?
And if she is telling the truth, then she is a slow learner, a very slow learner. Not a good choice for DA either way.
Listen, judges are supposed to mete out justice with compassion. Even the guilty deserve a bit of compassion, not cruelty. Any judge who taunts a human being, even a felon, that they will be raped in prison, doesn't deserve to be a judge, let alone a prosecutor.
And, I got used to seeing Morgenthau
on the PAL appeals that's send inside ConEd bills.
that must be his pet charity.
Mugatu?!
Anyone who has been in office since 1975 should not be in any office any more. Term limits are a good thing.
Term limits?
Morgenthau ran against the sadistic judge, Crocker-Snyder, in 2005, and the voters wisely chose him over her, despite the fact that she was well financed and got the NYT endorsement.
Why remove the voters' ability to decide whom they best want to represent them? Morgenthau was a great DA and will be hard to replace.
If you have a good worker, do you fire him after eight years, just because he was too long on the job? No way!
Curious: whom did you vote for in that 2005 race?
I don't really know much about him...like maybe he had nose cancer or something...so I don't wanna step over the line...but WTF IS UP WITH HIS NOSE???????
Cocaine is a helluva drug!
He probably has skin cancer. Poor old guy.
Did You Know... That a person's EARS and NOSE never stop growing? Fun Fact.
Who knew Jimmy Durante studied law?