Jeanine Pirro

Early life

Pirro was born in Elmira, New York, to Nasser "Leo" and Esther (née Awad) Ferris, both first-generation Lebanese-Americans. Her father was a mobile-home salesman; her mother was a department-store model.

She graduated from Notre Dame High School in three years rather than the usual four. She then graduated with a B.A. (magna cum laude with Phi Beta Kappa membership) from the University at Buffalo. She received her J.D. degree at Albany Law School of Union University in 1975. During law school, she was an editor of the law review. She is a practicing Catholic.

Marriage

Jeanine Ferris married Albert Pirro, a lobbyist, in 1975. The couple had a son and a daughter. In 2000, Albert Pirro was convicted of federal tax evasion and conspiracy of over $1 million, which was seen as possibly hurting his wife's legal and political career prospects. The conviction was so damaging to her political career that she seriously considered resigning from her position as a state district attorney and taking a more lucrative post in the private sector.

In the midst of her 2006 state attorney general campaign, Pirro revealed she was the subject of a federal investigation into whether she illegally taped her husband's conversations to catch him committing adultery. The couple announced they were separating in November 2007 and finalized their divorce in 2013.

After her husband's release from prison, Pirro received significant political contributions from his associates, including contractors and realtors who had done business with her husband, for her several unsuccessful attempts to hold higher office.

Westchester County

In 1975, Pirro was appointed an Assistant District Attorney (ADA) in New York's Westchester County. During her career as an ADA, she established a reputation as a fighter and skilled prosecutor, including murder, rape and violent felonies. She created one of the first Domestic Violence Units in the nation, to address the needs of women and children crime victims.

In November 1990, Pirro was elected a Westchester County Court Judge, the first woman to be so elected. In November 1993, she was elected Westchester County District Attorney, again the first woman to hold that position in the county. She was re-elected in 1997 and 2001. On May 23, 2005, Pirro announced that she would not seek re-election as Westchester County District Attorney.

Pirro distinguished herself as the first woman to preside over the New York State District Attorneys Association. During her tenure as District Attorney, Governor George Pataki appointed her to lead the New York State Commission on Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board. The board's report and subsequent recommendations led to the enactment of laws that improved the protection and safety of domestic abuse victims.

While the District Attorney, Pirro appeared on television programs such as Larry King Live and Nightline. In 1997, People magazine named her as one of its 50 Most Beautiful People.

1986 governor's race

In May 1986, Republican gubernatorial candidate Andrew O'Rourke selected Pirro to be his running mate. However, two days later, Pirro withdrew without giving a reason and was quickly replaced by Michael Kavanagh.

2006 U.S. Senate campaign

On August 10, 2005, Pirro announced she would seek the Republican nomination to challenge first-term incumbent senator Hillary Clinton, a Democrat, in the 2006 election for U.S. Senator from New York. Other Republicans who announced campaigns for the nomination were John Spencer, a former mayor of Yonkers, William Brenner, an attorney in Sullivan County, and attorney Edward Cox, the son-in-law of former president Richard Nixon. In a widely publicized moment when she was declaring her candidacy, Pirro misplaced page 10 of her speech and went silent for 32 seconds, something that is widely considered to have damaged her campaign before it even started.

During an appearance at the Crime Victims Resource Center, Pirro described herself this way: "I am red on fiscal policy. I am conservative and I support the Bush tax cut." She added, however: "I have broad blue stripes when it comes to social issues... I am a woman who is a moderate in New York."

Republican governor George Pataki's endorsement of Pirro caused Cox to withdraw from the race, leaving Pirro as the likely nominee. Donors to Pirro's political campaign included designer Tommy Hilfiger (also a native of Elmira) and Donald Trump, as well as contractors and real estate executives who had done business with her husband.

On December 21, 2005, after continuing pressure from party chiefs, a lagging fundraising effort, and polls showing she would be easily defeated by Clinton (a Quinnipiac University poll found Pirro would lose to Clinton 62 percent to 30 percent), Pirro dropped out of the Senate race. In a statement, she said "I have decided that my law enforcement background better qualifies me for a race for New York State attorney general than a race for the United States Senate." Spencer was eventually chosen as the Republican Party's nominee for the U.S. Senate.

2006 State attorney general campaign

On May 31, 2006, Pirro, unopposed for the nomination, became the Republican party's official candidate for attorney general by acclamation at the state GOP convention. She also received the nominations of the New York Conservative and Independence Parties. Pirro lost the general election to the Democratic nominee, former Clinton Housing and Urban Development Secretary and future Governor Andrew Cuomo 58%–39%.

Media career

Pirro has been a regular contributor to The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet. She is currently contributing to Today, Fox NY Good Day New York, is a Fox News legal analyst appearing on various shows, and has guest hosted shows such as Larry King Live, The Joy Behar Show, and Geraldo at Large. She is a frequent guest on Fox's late-night satire show Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld.

In 2003 Pirro released the nonfiction book To Punish and Protect, describing life inside the criminal justice system. In 2012, with the assistance of author Pete Earley, Pirro wrote the novel Sly Fox based on her own experiences as a 25-year-old assistant district attorney in Westchester.

Pirro appears in the HBO six-part serial The Jinx, recounting her perspective on the 1983 disappearance of Kathie Durst, a high-profile case for which she was the investigating attorney.

Pirro was the host of the American reality prime time court show You the Jury, canceled after two episodes.

Judge Jeanine Pirro on The CW

On May 5, 2008, The CW announced that Pirro would host a weekday television show to be named Judge Jeanine Pirro, part of the network's CW Daytime lineup, with two episodes airing daily. The show was distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television and was carried by default on all CW affiliate stations.

Judge Jeanine Pirro was cleared for a second season beginning in fall 2009. Unlike its first season, the second season, which began in the fall of 2009, was not exclusive to CW affiliates. In May 2010, the show received its first Emmy nomination, and in 2011, received the daytime Emmy Award. In September 2011 the show was canceled due to low ratings.

Justice with Judge Jeanine on Fox News Channel

Pirro is now the host of Fox News Channel's Justice with Judge Jeanine, which premiered in January 2011. The program airs on weekends and focuses on the big legal stories of the week.

Political positions

Pirro supported Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential race, while also noting that she was "infuriated" by some of his behaviors.

Pirro is a supporter of affirmative action. However, despite once being in favor of a woman's right to an abortion, including being supportive of U.S. taxpayer funding of abortion through Medicaid, she changed her stance in late 2005, ranging from a quote on CNN and an article on August 10, 2005 in The New York Times. On gun control Pirro said on her Fox TV show in December 2015, Justice with Judge Jeanine, "Get a gun, buy one legally, learn how to shoot it and be primed to use it. And, I don't care if you get a long gun, a hand gun, a revolver or a semi automatic. Get whatever gun you can handle and don't let anyone talk you out of it. The second amendment of the Constitution and the United States Supreme Court confirm your right to have one."