- Worked in federal prosecutor's office in New York, including under Rudy Giuliani, the current Republican presidential candidate and the city's ex-mayor.
- Nominated to the federal bench in 1987 by Ronald Reagan, then US president.
- Presided over case in which Omar Abdel Rahman, known as the "blind sheikh", and a dozen others were linked to the 1993 bombing of the US World Trade Centre.
Sources: Reuters, The Washington Post, The New York Times |