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Michael Chertoff is a prominent American attorney and former federal judge who served as the second Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Michael Chertoff is Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of The Chertoff Group, a global security risk management and growth advisory firm.
Michael Chertoff is senior counsel at Covington & Burling LLP, and a member of the firm’s White Collar Defense and Investigations practice group.
Michael Chertoff co-chairs BPC’s Immigration Task Force.
Michael Chertoff is the chair and a member of the board of trustees at the international freedom watchdog Freedom House.
Michael Chertoff sits on the bipartisan advisory board of States United Democracy Center.
Chertoff worked in private practice with Latham & Watkins from 1980 to 1983 and then returned for a brief period in the mid-1990s, founding the firm's office in Newark, New Jersey.
Chertoff was elected as Chairman of BAE Systems for a three-year term, beginning May 1, 2012.
Michael Chertoff is also a member of the Atlantic Council's board of directors.
From 2017 to 2019, Chertoff served as a member of the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace and was made a co-chair of the commission in its final year.
Michael Chertoff was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, on November 28, 1953. He pursued his higher education at Harvard College, graduating magna cum laude in 1975, and subsequently earned his Juris Doctor magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1978. Early in his career, he clerked for U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Murray Gurfein and Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. from 1979 to 1980. Chertoff then transitioned into a role as a federal prosecutor for over a decade, handling cases involving political corruption, organized crime, corporate fraud, and terrorism, including significant involvement in the investigation of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He served as the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey from 1990 to 1994, where he notably secured a conviction against Jersey City mayor Gerald McCann in 1992.
From 2001 to 2003, Chertoff headed the criminal division of the Department of Justice as Assistant U.S. Attorney General, providing legal advice on critical interrogation methods and overseeing the prosecution of cases such as that against suspected terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui and accounting firm Arthur Andersen. In 2003, President George W. Bush nominated him to a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, where he served as a federal judge until 2005. His distinguished career culminated in his appointment as the second Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on February 15, 2005, a position he held until January 21, 2009. During his tenure, he focused on strengthening borders, enhancing intelligence analysis and infrastructure protection, and transforming FEMA after Hurricane Katrina. He also co-authored the USA PATRIOT Act.
Post-government service, Chertoff co-founded The Chertoff Group, a global security risk management and growth advisory firm, providing strategic counsel on global security solutions. He is also senior counsel at Covington & Burling LLP, specializing in White Collar Defense and Investigations. Beyond his legal and advisory roles, he has been involved with organizations like Freedom House, serving as its chair and a member of the board of trustees, and co-chairs the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Immigration Task Force.
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