R. Alexander Acosta
Encyclopedia
R. Alexander Acosta is an American lawyer
and the current dean of the Florida International University College of Law
in Miami, Florida
. Until 2009, he was also the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida
.
, and attended the Gulliver Schools
in Miami. He received his bachelor's degree
from Harvard College
and his law degree
from Harvard Law School
. After graduation (1994–1995) he served as a law clerk
to Samuel Alito
, then a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
. Acosta then worked at the Washington, D.C.
office of the law firm
Kirkland & Ellis
. While in Washington, Acosta also taught classes on employment law, disability
-based discrimination law, and civil rights
law at the George Mason University School of Law
. Acosta received the Excellence in Government Service Award in 2003 from the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund
and the Hugh A. Johnson, Jr. Memorial Award from the DC Hispanic Bar Association. From 1998-2000 Acosta was a senior fellow at the socially conservative
Ethics and Public Policy Center
. http://www.mediatransparency.org/personprofile.php?personID=381
before becoming a Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division
. He was the first Hispanic
to serve as an Assistant Attorney General at the Department of Justice
.
by President
George W. Bush
. Notable cases during his tenure include the prosecution of Jack Abramoff
in connection with the SunCruz Casinos sale, the corruption
prosecution of Palm Beach County Commission Chairman Tony Masilotti, Palm Beach County Commissioner Warren Newell, and Broward Sheriff
Ken Jenne, the prosecution of José Padilla, and the conviction of Cali Cartel
founders Miguel
and Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela
, and the white-collar crime
prosecutions of executives connected to Hamilton Bank. Acosta has emphasized health-care fraud
prosecutions.
Law of the United States
The law of the United States consists of many levels of codified and uncodified forms of law, of which the most important is the United States Constitution, the foundation of the federal government of the United States...
and the current dean of the Florida International University College of Law
Florida International University College of Law
The Florida International University College of Law is the law school of Florida International University, located in Miami, Florida in the United States...
in Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
. Until 2009, he was also the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida
United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida
The United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida is the United States Attorney responsible for representing the federal government in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida....
.
Background
Acosta is a native of Miami, FloridaMiami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, and attended the Gulliver Schools
Gulliver Preparatory School
Gulliver Schools is a group of private co-educational schools. Its management offices are in Coral Gables, Florida. Its campuses are across Miami-Dade County.- Campuses :Campuses operated by Gulliver schools include:...
in Miami. He received his bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
and his law degree
Law degree
A Law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers; but while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not themselves confer a license...
from 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 graduation (1994–1995) he served as a law clerk
Law clerk
A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person who provides assistance to a judge in researching issues before the court and in writing opinions. Law clerks are not court clerks or courtroom deputies, who are administrative staff for the court. Most law clerks are recent law school graduates who...
to Samuel Alito
Samuel Alito
Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr. is an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. He was nominated by President George W. Bush and has served on the court since January 31, 2006....
, then a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts for the following districts:* District of Delaware* District of New Jersey...
. Acosta then worked at the Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
office of the law firm
Law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
Kirkland & Ellis
Kirkland & Ellis
Kirkland & Ellis LLP is an international law firm with headquarters in Chicago, known for its profitability and its litigation, bankruptcy, intellectual property and private equity departments. Kirkland & Ellis is currently ranked as the ninth most prestigious law firm in the United States by...
. While in Washington, Acosta also taught classes on employment law, disability
Disability
A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...
-based discrimination law, and civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
law at the George Mason University School of Law
George Mason University School of Law
George Mason University School of Law is the law school of George Mason University, a state university in Virginia, United States...
. Acosta received the Excellence in Government Service Award in 2003 from the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund
Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund
The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund is a national non-profit civil rights organization formed in 1968 to protect the rights of Latinos in the United States...
and the Hugh A. Johnson, Jr. Memorial Award from the DC Hispanic Bar Association. From 1998-2000 Acosta was a senior fellow at the socially conservative
Social conservatism
Social Conservatism is primarily a political, and usually morally influenced, ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values. Social conservatism is a form of authoritarianism often associated with the position that the federal government should have a greater role...
Ethics and Public Policy Center
Ethics and Public Policy Center
The Ethics and Public Policy Center is a Washington, D.C.-based conservative advocacy group. Formed in 1976 by Ernest W. Lefever, who was its president until 1989, the group describes itself as "dedicated to applying the Judeo-Christian moral tradition to critical issues of public policy."Since...
. http://www.mediatransparency.org/personprofile.php?personID=381
Executive Branch Service
Acosta served as a member of the National Labor Relations BoardNational Labor Relations Board
The National Labor Relations Board is an independent agency of the United States government charged with conducting elections for labor union representation and with investigating and remedying unfair labor practices. Unfair labor practices may involve union-related situations or instances of...
before becoming a Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division
United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division
The U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division is the institution within the federal government responsible for enforcing federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, sex, disability, religion, and national origin. The Division was established on December 9, 1957, by...
. He was the first Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
to serve as an Assistant Attorney General at the Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
.
US Attorney for South Florida
Acosta was appointed United States Attorney for the Southern District of FloridaUnited States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida
The United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida is the United States Attorney responsible for representing the federal government in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida....
by President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. Notable cases during his tenure include the prosecution of Jack Abramoff
Jack Abramoff
Jack Abramoff is an American former lobbyist and businessman. Convicted in 2006 of mail fraud and conspiracy, he was at the heart of an extensive corruption investigation that led to the conviction of White House officials J. Steven Griles and David Safavian, U.S. Representative Bob Ney, and nine...
in connection with the SunCruz Casinos sale, the corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
prosecution of Palm Beach County Commission Chairman Tony Masilotti, Palm Beach County Commissioner Warren Newell, and Broward Sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
Ken Jenne, the prosecution of José Padilla, and the conviction of Cali Cartel
Cali Cartel
The Cali Cartel was a drug cartel based in southern Colombia, around the city of Cali and the Valle del Cauca Department. The Cali Cartel was founded by the Rodríguez Orejuela brothers, Gilberto and Miguel, as well as associate José Santacruz Londoño...
founders Miguel
Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela
Miguel Angel Rodríguez Orejuela is a Colombian druglord, formerly one of the leaders of the Cali Cartel, based in the city of Cali. He is the younger brother of Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela...
and Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela
Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela
Gilberto José Rodríguez Orejuela is a Colombian druglord, formerly one of the leaders of the Cali Cartel, based in the city of Cali.-Cali Cartel:...
, and the white-collar crime
White-collar crime
Within the field of criminology, white-collar crime has been defined by Edwin Sutherland as "a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation" . Sutherland was a proponent of Symbolic Interactionism, and believed that criminal behavior was...
prosecutions of executives connected to Hamilton Bank. Acosta has emphasized health-care fraud
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
prosecutions.
Dean of the Florida International University College of Law
On July 1, 2009, Acosta became the second dean of Florida International University College of Law. http://law.lawnet.fiu.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=364&Itemid=542External links
- Official biography from the Florida International University College of LawFlorida International University College of LawThe Florida International University College of Law is the law school of Florida International University, located in Miami, Florida in the United States...
- Assistant Attorney General R. Alexander Acosta