Norman Bay
Encyclopedia
Norman C. Bay is a former United States Attorney
for the District of New Mexico. Bay was the first Chinese-American United States Attorney.
Attorney General of the United States Janet Reno
named Bay as the interim United States Attorney in New Mexico on March 8, 2000. At the time Bay was named interim U.S. Attorney, he was taking over from an Acting U.S. Attorney (Bob Gorence). President Bill Clinton
nominated Bay to the Senate on May 25, 2000, and the Senate confirmed Bay on September 8, 2000.
As United States Attorney in New Mexico, Bay inherited the Wen Ho Lee
case, which had been charged before Bay took office. This controversial case involved a Chinese-American scientist accused of mishandling nuclear secrets. Five months after Bay became interim U.S. Attorney (and seven days after he was confirmed by the United States Senate
), the case was resolved through a plea agreement in August 2000. At Lee’s sentencing, Judge James Parker
criticized top government officials, but Judge Parker went out of his way to exempt Bay, whom he warmly praised as an “outstanding member[] of the Bar” for whom he had the “highest regard.”
Although Bay's appointment was for four years, he resigned in 2001 upon George W. Bush's taking office. (The timing of Bay's resignation was not unusual. It is customary for all policymaking Executive Branch officials to resign their respective offices at the end of an Administration, regardless of the official duration of their appointment.)
In the spring of 2002, Bay began teaching at the University of New Mexico School of Law
. He is presently an Associate Professor of Law, and his subjects include Constitutional Law
, Criminal Law
, International Criminal Law
, and Evidence. His scholarship interests have included National Security Law and Criminal Procedure, and he has written in both of those areas.
Bay was raised in New Mexico. He attended Dartmouth College
and Harvard Law School
. After law school, he clerked for Judge Otto R. Skopil, Jr., of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He then worked in the Legal Adviser’s Office of the U.S. State Department. From 1989 to 2000, he was a federal prosecutor (an Assistant U.S. Attorney) in the District of Columbia and in New Mexico. Before becoming the United States Attorney, he was a supervisor of the Violent Crime Section in New Mexico. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney, he tried cases in D.C. Superior Court, and U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia and New Mexico. He also has extensive experience in appellate advocacy and has argued a number of cases in the D.C. Court of Appeals, the D.C. Circuit, and the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals that have resulted in reported opinions.
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
for the District of New Mexico. Bay was the first Chinese-American United States Attorney.
Attorney General of the United States Janet Reno
Janet Reno
Janet Wood Reno is a former Attorney General of the United States . She was nominated by President Bill Clinton on February 11, 1993, and confirmed on March 11...
named Bay as the interim United States Attorney in New Mexico on March 8, 2000. At the time Bay was named interim U.S. Attorney, he was taking over from an Acting U.S. Attorney (Bob Gorence). President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
nominated Bay to the Senate on May 25, 2000, and the Senate confirmed Bay on September 8, 2000.
As United States Attorney in New Mexico, Bay inherited the Wen Ho Lee
Wen Ho Lee
Dr. Wen Ho Lee is a Taiwan-born Taiwanese American scientist who worked for the University of California at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. He created simulations of nuclear explosions for the purposes of scientific inquiry, as well as for improving the safety and reliability of the US nuclear...
case, which had been charged before Bay took office. This controversial case involved a Chinese-American scientist accused of mishandling nuclear secrets. Five months after Bay became interim U.S. Attorney (and seven days after he was confirmed by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
), the case was resolved through a plea agreement in August 2000. At Lee’s sentencing, Judge James Parker
James Parker
James Parker may refer to:*Jim Parker , founder of Parker College of Chiropractic and Parker Seminars*Jim Parker , British composer*Jim Parker , American professional football player...
criticized top government officials, but Judge Parker went out of his way to exempt Bay, whom he warmly praised as an “outstanding member[] of the Bar” for whom he had the “highest regard.”
Although Bay's appointment was for four years, he resigned in 2001 upon George W. Bush's taking office. (The timing of Bay's resignation was not unusual. It is customary for all policymaking Executive Branch officials to resign their respective offices at the end of an Administration, regardless of the official duration of their appointment.)
In the spring of 2002, Bay began teaching at the University of New Mexico School of Law
University of New Mexico School of Law
The University of New Mexico School of Law is the law school of the University of New Mexico, located in Albuquerque. It is the only law school in the state of New Mexico. Approximately 350 students attend the school, with approximately 115 enrolled in the first-year class...
. He is presently an Associate Professor of Law, and his subjects include Constitutional Law
Constitutional law
Constitutional law is the body of law which defines the relationship of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the legislature and the judiciary....
, Criminal Law
Criminal law
Criminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and welfare of people, and that sets out the punishment to be imposed on people who do not obey...
, International Criminal Law
Criminal law
Criminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and welfare of people, and that sets out the punishment to be imposed on people who do not obey...
, and Evidence. His scholarship interests have included National Security Law and Criminal Procedure, and he has written in both of those areas.
Bay was raised in New Mexico. He attended Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
and Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
. After law school, he clerked for Judge Otto R. Skopil, Jr., of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He then worked in the Legal Adviser’s Office of the U.S. State Department. From 1989 to 2000, he was a federal prosecutor (an Assistant U.S. Attorney) in the District of Columbia and in New Mexico. Before becoming the United States Attorney, he was a supervisor of the Violent Crime Section in New Mexico. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney, he tried cases in D.C. Superior Court, and U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia and New Mexico. He also has extensive experience in appellate advocacy and has argued a number of cases in the D.C. Court of Appeals, the D.C. Circuit, and the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals that have resulted in reported opinions.