Andrew Lelling, The Role of the United States Attorney
Delivered by Andrew Lelling, United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts
Monday, October 19, 2020
12:45 – 2:00 p.m.
Mr. Lelling’s wide-ranging talk will include comments on the role of the United States Attorney as enforcer of federal law, the college admissions scandal, police reform investigations and litigation, enforcement of federal marijuana laws in states that have legalized the recreational use of marijuana, and the role of the prosecutor in criminal justice reform, including whether prosecutors should have the discretion to decline to prosecute entire categories of cases. Among other noteworthy cases, his office is prosecuting the cases arising out of the college admissions scandal and has led an investigation into the practices of the police department of Springfield, Massachusetts. There will be ample time for questions from students, which Mr. Lelling welcomes.
Please note, this event is open to Boston University School of Law community only (students, faculty, staff and alumni).
About the Speaker
Andrew Lelling was sworn in as U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts on Dec. 21, 2017. Prior to his appointment, he was a federal prosecutor for over 15 years, serving first in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and later at the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of Virginia and the District of Massachusetts. Over the course of his career, he has prosecuted numerous complex fraud, immigration and international drug trafficking cases, and trained prosecutors and law enforcement officers on criminal practice.
Before serving as a federal prosecutor, Mr. Lelling was Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, focusing on criminal civil rights enforcement, voting rights enforcement actions, and civil investigations of major city police departments. In this role, Mr. Lelling led the Department’s investigation of the 2000 Presidential election in Florida and negotiated human rights issues with the Chinese government. In addition, Mr. Lelling advised on the drafting of the USA PATRIOT Act in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and led the Department’s task force for responding to backlash crimes.
Mr. Lelling graduated cum laude from University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1994 and from Binghamton University in 1991.