{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"184. Mimi Rocah, Mom, Prosecutor, &\u00a0 Author","description":"Mimi Rocah lives in Westchester, New York, with her husband David Anders, a fellow lawyer she met while working as a prosecutor in the Southern District of New York. After working for a few years between college and law school, she attended NYU Law School with the intention of becoming a prosecutor. She completed two clerkships, one for the Eastern District of New York and one for the Second Circuit, before starting at the Southern District of New York in February 2001. Mimi spent 17 years at the Southern District of New York, eventually moving into teaching and legal commentary for MSNBC, and then running for and become the Westchester County District Attorney.  Now she is back to teaching, on air legal commentary and writing her first book. Justice Still Stands Mimi talks about the book she is writing titled Justice Still Stands: Trump's Assault on the Rule of Law and the Heroes Fighting Back, scheduled for release by Harper Collins in January 2027. The book examines the political takeover of the Department of Justice and attacks on district court judges during the Trump administration. She highlights "heroes," including career public servants and judges, who refused to participate in unethical or unlawful political mandates. A primary motivation for the book was witnessing DOJ leaders attempt to influence a public corruption case against Mayor Eric Adams for political reasons. Working As a Prosecutor Mimi explains that many prosecutors are at-will employees, though they possess protections against discriminatory or unconstitutional termination via the Merit Systems Protection Board.She cites the 2025 firing of prosecutor Maureen Comey as an example of a termination based on political or personal identity rather than performance. Mimi notes that approximately 16,000 employees have left the DOJ due to firings, resignations, or early buyouts during recent administrations. Tenure as Westchester District AttorneyMimi served one term as the District Attorney of Westchester County after winning a Democratic primary in 2020. Her leadership focused on serving victims and maintaining integrity by ensuring prosecutors act as servants of justice rather than just seeking convictions. She established a Conviction Integrity Unit that successfully worked toward exonerations, such as the case of Leonard Mack. She also implemented misdemeanor-level diversion programs to help individuals avoid entering the criminal justice system for nonviolent offenses. Teaching Legal EthicsMimi decided not to run for a second term because she felt uncomfortable with the intersection of politics and law enforcement. She believes that once in a prosecutorial role, one should belong to the "party of justice" rather than a political party. Mimi described  feeling uncomfortable campaigning for re-election while sitting in a role in which she had tried to keep politics out. Following her time as DA, she has been teaching legal ethics at Fordham Law School and focusing on her book. Mimi expresses hope to eventually contribute to rebuilding the Department of Justice to protect it from future political takeovers. Harvard Reflections Reflecting on her time at Harvard, Mimi recalls American History classes and writing an American history thesis on Helen Gahagan Douglas.  She also mentions a course on astronomy.   Timestamps 00:02: Career Overview and Early Life  05:01: Upcoming Book on Rule of Law  11:12: Department of Justice Employment Realities  15:52: Tenure as Westchester District Attorney  22:45: Decision Not to Seek Reelection  28:29: Future Aspirations and Harvard Memories  Links Justice Stands Still: https:\/\/www.harpercollins.com\/products\/justice-still-stands-mimi-rocah X: @Mimirocah1 Substack: @Mimirocah1 Bluesky: @Mimirocah1 Instagram: @Mimirocah1   *AI generated show notes and transcript   ","author_name":"The 92 Report","author_url":"https:\/\/92report.com\/","html":"