The media have noticed that Janet Reno is spending a year as a visiting senior fellow in our Center for Ethics and Public Service, headed by Tony Alfieri.
I'm glad that Tony made this appointment, as I think that the volunteer presence of any former Attorney General, especially one with local ties, enriches the law school community—whatever you may think of her tenure in office. The students certainly seem very happy to have her here, and she's proving to be an interesting person to have around, especially for the folks in the Wrongful Convictions Project.
That said, I'm sure that Tony had to be ready for some heat: there were people around who muttered it would be a bad idea, mostly because there are many people in the Miami community who are still angry about the Elian affair.
Reno working on a “wrongful convictions” project? Some might consider this ironic, given how many people she locked away based on “recovered memory” prosecutions, but hey, it’s never too late to start making recompense. I take it her first job will be freeing Frank Fuster?
Despite what one may think of her checkered record, she does have the cojones to walk around Miami unescorted. Don’t know if she’s packing heat somewhere in her attire, but given the pure hatred many Cuban-Americans, that takes a lot of courage.