Michael Delaney
28th Attorney General of New Hampshire
In office
August 24, 2009 – May 15, 2013
GovernorJohn Lynch
Maggie Hassan
Preceded byKelly Ayotte
Succeeded byJoseph Foster
Legal Counsel to the Governor of New Hampshire
In office
2006 – August 24, 2009
GovernorJohn Lynch
Preceded byKatherine Hanna
Succeeded byJeffrey Meyers
Personal details
Born
Michael Arthur Delaney

(1969-07-19) July 19, 1969 (age 54)
Lynn, Massachusetts, U.S.
SpouseCaroline Delaney
Children3
Alma materCollege of the Holy Cross (BA)
Georgetown University (JD)

Michael Arthur Delaney (born July 19, 1969)[1][2] is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 28th New Hampshire Attorney General from 2009 to 2013. Delaney was appointed to the office of Attorney General by New Hampshire Governor John Lynch and decided not to seek reappointment by Governor Maggie Hassan at the end of his term, instead taking a position at the McLane Law Firm.[3] In 2023, Delaney was nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. On May 18, 2023, it was announced that his nomination would be withdrawn because of bipartisan opposition.[4][5][6]

Early life and education

Delaney grew up as the youngest of five children in an Irish American Catholic family in Danvers, Massachusetts. His father, Arthur Delaney, was a probation officer. He graduated from St John's Preparatory School in 1987.[7]

Delaney graduated from the College of the Holy Cross, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in political science in 1991, and Georgetown University Law Center, where he received a Juris Doctor in 1994.[2][8]

Career

Delaney joined the law firm of Wiggin & Nourie in Manchester, New Hampshire, in 1994 after graduating from law school; there, he specialized in business litigation.[7]

He joined the New Hampshire Attorney General's office in 1999, initially serving as an assistant attorney general. Delaney then served as the Homicide Unit Chief in the office until 2004, when he became deputy attorney general.

Delaney served as deputy attorney general until 2006, when he left that post to become Governor Lynch's legal counsel. Lynch appointed Delaney New Hampshire Attorney General in 2009 after accepting the resignation of Kelly Ayotte. Delaney was sworn in on August 24, 2009, upon being unanimously confirmed by the Executive Council.[8][dead link]

After leaving the attorney general's office, Delaney joined the law firm of McLane Middleton in its Manchester office.[9]

Delaney serves as the Co-Chair of the New Hampshire Campaign for Legal Services Leadership Council.[10]

Failed nomination to court of appeals

On January 18, 2023, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Delaney to serve as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.[11][12] On January 31, 2023, his nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated him to a seat vacated by Judge Jeffrey R. Howard, who assumed senior status on March 31, 2022.[13] On February 15, 2023, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[14] During the hearing, Delaney received criticism from senators regarding his authoring and filing of a motion seeking to strip a minor female rape victim of anonymity as part of representation of a New Hampshire private school.[15][16] The allegations were made by the victim of the 2015 assault in a letter to the panel.[17] The victim also wrote an opinion editorial in The Boston Globe saying Delaney "doesn't deserve to be a judge" and that supporting his nomination is equivalent to condoning "what Delaney and St. Paul's School put me and my family through."[15] Owen Labrie was 18 years old at the time he was accused of raping the then 15-year-old student.[18]

Some Democrats expressed concerns about his nomination due to his handling of a sexual assault case.[19] Other Democrats and groups expressed concern over a legal brief that defended a law related to abortion.[20] On May 3, 2023, it was reported that since 2018, Delaney had been a board member of the New England Legal Foundation as well as on their legal review committee. This foundation has opposed some of President Biden's positions on climate change, consumer protection, and labor rights.[21]

On May 18, 2023, Delaney asked that his nomination be withdrawn because of bipartisan opposition.[4][5][6] On May 30, 2023, the White House officially withdrew his nomination.[22]

Personal life

Delaney resides in Manchester, New Hampshire, with his wife, Caroline, and their three children.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ U.S. Public Records Index Vol 1 (Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.), 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Michael A. Delaney Profile". www.martindale.com. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  3. ^ Leubsdorf, Ben (May 17, 2013). "Ex-AG Mike Delaney takes job at new AG Joe Foster's old law firm". Concord Monitor. Archived from the original on March 26, 2015. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
  4. ^ a b Fox, Lauren; Sneed, Tierney. "Biden judicial nominee, under fire for school sexual assault case, withdraws after Democrats balk". CNN. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Everett, Burgess. "Biden admin expected to withdraw controversial judicial pick". Politico. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Thomsen, Jacqueline. "Biden appeals court nominee Delaney asks to withdraw after bipartisan opposition". Reuters. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Forman, Ethan (September 1, 2009). "Danvers native becomes N.H.'s top legal eagle". The Salem News. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
  8. ^ a b Press Release: Gov. Lynch Swears In Michael Delaney as Attorney General Archived 2009-08-28 at the Wayback Machine, governor.nh.gov; August 24, 2009; accessed April 19, 2015.
  9. ^ "Michael A. Delaney".
  10. ^ "Our Leadership". NH Campaign for Legal Services.
  11. ^ Vazquez, Maegan (January 18, 2023). "First on CNN: Biden releases first slate of 2023 judicial nominees | CNN Politics". CNN.
  12. ^ "President Biden Names Twenty–Ninth Round of Judicial Nominees" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. January 18, 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2023. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  13. ^ "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. January 31, 2023.
  14. ^ "Nominations". Washington, D.C.: United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. February 14, 2023.
  15. ^ a b Kapur, Sahil (March 3, 2023). "Democrats hit some snags on Biden judicial nominees after topping 100 new judges". NBC News. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  16. ^ "First Circuit Nominee Grilled Over Representation of Student in Sexual Assault Dispute". National Law Journal.
  17. ^ "US Circuit Nominee Questioned on Sex Assault Cases Defense (1)". news.bloomberglaw.com.
  18. ^ Herlihy, Brianna (February 15, 2023). "Prep school rape case from 2014 comes back to haunt Biden's latest troubled nominee". Fox News.
  19. ^ Fox, Jeremy Diamond,Lauren (March 3, 2023). "Biden judicial appointment hangs in the wind as senators mull action in past case | CNN Politics". CNN.((cite web)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  20. ^ "Biden's appeals court nominee faces rare Democratic scrutiny". AP NEWS. March 20, 2023.
  21. ^ Swan, Betsy (3 May 2023). "Biden judicial nominee helped free-market group that opposed administration on climate change". Politico. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  22. ^ "Nominations and Withdrawals Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. May 30, 2023.

External links

Legal offices Preceded byKelly Ayotte Attorney General of New Hampshire August 24, 2009 – May 15, 2013 Succeeded byJoseph Foster
Categories