Editing Janet Reno

{{short description|American lawyer and public official (1938&ndash;2016)}}
{{distinguish|Ginette Reno}}
{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image = Janet Reno-us-Portrait.jpg
| caption = Official portrait, {{circa|1990s}}
| order = 78th
| office = United States Attorney General
| president = [[Bill Clinton]]
| term_start = March 12, 1993
| term_end = January 20, 2001
| predecessor = [[William Barr]]
| successor = [[John Ashcroft]]
| deputy = {{plainlist|
* [[Philip Heymann]]
* [[Jamie Gorelick]]
* [[Eric Holder]]
}}
| office2 = State Attorney for [[Miami-Dade County, Florida]]
| term_start2 = 1978
| term_end2 = 1993
| predecessor2 = [[Richard Gerstein]]
| successor2 = [[Katherine Fernandez Rundle]]
| birth_name = Janet Wood Reno
| birth_date = {{birth date|1938|7|21}}
| birth_place = Miami, Florida, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2016|11|7|1938|7|21}}
| death_place = Miami, Florida, U.S.
| party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| education = {{plainlist|
* [[Cornell University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])
* [[Harvard University]] ([[Juris Doctor|JD]])
}}
| signature = Janet-Reno-Signature.png
}}

'''Janet Wood Reno ''' (July 21, 1938 – November 7, 2016) was an American lawyer and public official who served as the 78th [[United States Attorney General|United States attorney general]] from 1993 to 2001. A member of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], Reno was the second-longest serving attorney general, behind only [[William Wirt (Attorney General)|William Wirt]], and the first female to serve in the position.

Reno was born and raised in Miami, Florida. After leaving to attend [[Cornell University]] and [[Harvard Law School]], she returned to Miami where she started her career at private law firms. Her first foray into government was as a staff member for the Judiciary Committee of the [[Florida House of Representatives]]. She then worked for the Dade County State Attorney's Office before returning to private practice. She was elected to the Office of State Attorney five times and was the first woman to serve as a state attorney in Florida. President [[Bill Clinton]] appointed her attorney general in 1993, a position she held until Clinton left office in 2001.

==Early life and education ==
Reno was born in [[Miami]], Florida. Reno's mother, Jane Wallace (née Wood), wrote a weekly home improvement column for ''[[The Miami News]]'' under a male pseudonym and later became an investigative reporter for the paper.<ref name="BBC"/><ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article113053108.html|title=Janet Reno's early years in Miami: Peacocks, bare feet, stubborn independence|last=Driscoll|first=Amy|date=November 7, 2018|work=miami herald|access-date=September 2, 2018|language=en|archive-date=September 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180903082353/https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article113053108.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Janet's father, Henry Olaf Reno (né Rasmussen),{{Efn|Henry's father decided to change the family's Scandinavian name to avoid prejudice and settled on "[[Reno]]" after looking at a map of the United States.<ref name=":3" />{{rp|13}}}} was an emigrant from Denmark and a reporter for the ''[[Miami Herald]]'' for 43 years.<ref name="BBC">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/713648.stm|title=Janet Reno: From Waco to Elian|work=BBC News|date=April 14, 2000|access-date=January 5, 2008|archive-date=September 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230907201558/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/713648.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> Janet Reno had three younger siblings: Mark, writer [[Robert Reno]], and [[Maggy Hurchalla]].<ref name=":2" /> In 1943, the Reno family moved to a house in then-rural [[South Miami, Florida|South Miami]]; it came with enough land to keep farm animals, including cows, chicken, ducks, goats, and turkeys.<ref name=":3" />{{Rp|18}} Reno helped her parents churn butter, which the family sold to make ends meet.<ref name=":3" />{{Rp|18}}

As the family expanded, they outgrew the house and couldn't afford a larger one.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|last=Anderson|first=Paul|title=Janet Reno: Doing the Right Thing|publisher=John Wiley & Sons, Inc.|year=1994|isbn=0-471-01858-9|location=New York|pages=[https://archive.org/details/janetrenodoingri00ande/page/12 12]|url=https://archive.org/details/janetrenodoingri00ande/page/12}}</ref> Jane Reno decided to build a new home herself near the [[Everglades]], learning masonry, electrical work, and plumbing for the task.<ref name=":3" /> The Reno family moved to the house Jane built when Janet was 8 years old.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/08/us/janet-reno-dead.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220103/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/08/us/janet-reno-dead.html |archive-date=January 3, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Janet Reno, First Woman to Serve as U.S. Attorney General, Dies at 78|last=Hulse|first=Carl|date=November 7, 2016|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=November 8, 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The house would be Reno's lifelong home and a source of inspiration; she later said, "the house is a symbol to me that you can do anything you really want if it's the right thing to do and you put your mind to it."<ref name=":3" /> The Renos' lot for the house originally was 21 acres, some of which they later sold to pay for the children's education.<ref name=":0" />

Reno attended public school in [[Miami-Dade County, Florida]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{cite book|last=Hightower-Langston|first=Donna|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZuzP2yWtmj4C&q=janet+reno&pg=PA185|title=A to Z of American Women Leaders and Activists|date=2014|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=9781438107929|pages=183}}</ref>  After she completed middle school in 1951, Reno's parents sent her to stay with her uncle who served as a U.S. military judge in [[Regensburg, Germany]].<ref name=":3" />{{Rp|29–30}} There, Janet continued her education and traveled around Europe during breaks from school.<ref name=":3" />{{Rp|29–30}} After a year, Reno returned to Florida where she was a debating champion and [[salutatorian]] at [[Coral Gables Senior High School]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> In 1956 she enrolled at [[Cornell University]], where she majored in chemistry, became president of the Women's Self-Government Association, and earned her room and board.<ref name=":1" /> After graduating from Cornell, Reno enrolled at [[Harvard Law School]], one of 16 women in a class of 500 students.<ref name="Anderson, Curt, Reno died" /> She graduated from Harvard in 1963.<ref name="Fox News, Reno dies at 78">{{cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/former-us-attorney-general-janet-reno-dies-at-78|title=Former US attorney general Janet Reno dies at 78|date=November 7, 2016|publisher=Fox News Channel|language=en-US|access-date=November 7, 2016|archive-date=September 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170904201155/http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/11/07/former-us-attorney-general-janet-reno-dies-at-78.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Early career ==
From 1963 to 1971, Reno worked as an attorney for two Miami [[law firms]]. In 1971, she joined the staff of the Judiciary Committee of the [[Florida House of Representatives]].<ref name="Notable Biographies, Reno" /> The following year, Reno unsuccessfully ran for a seat in Florida's state house.<ref name=":6">{{cite news|url=http://www.miamiherald.com/news/state/florida/article113010078.html|title=How Janet Reno handled and bounced back from the biggest cases in her life|last=Weaver|first=Jay|date=November 7, 2016|work=miamiherald|access-date=December 10, 2017|archive-date=December 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171210123809/http://www.miamiherald.com/news/state/florida/article113010078.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1973, she worked on a project to revise the state's system of rules and regulations for criminal procedures.<ref name="Notable Biographies, Reno">{{cite web|url=http://www.notablebiographies.com/Pu-Ro/Reno-Janet.html|title=Janet Reno Biography – life, family, children, school, mother, young, old, information, born, house|publisher=notablebiographies.com|access-date=November 7, 2016|archive-date=November 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161107223101/http://www.notablebiographies.com/Pu-Ro/Reno-Janet.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Later in the same year, she accepted a position with the Dade County State Attorney's Office led by Richard Gerstein.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" /> Shortly after joining the office, Gerstein made Reno his chief assistant.<ref name=":6" /> Reno did not try any cases during her time working for Gerstein.<ref name=":6" /> She worked for the Judiciary Circuit, and left the state attorney's office in 1976 to become a partner in a private law firm, Steel, Hector & Davis.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7">{{cite news|title=After Rocky Start, Reno is Rock Solid|work=[[Miami Herald]]}}</ref> Gerstein decided to retire in 1977, creating a vacancy with Florida governor [[Reubin Askew]] to appoint a successor.<ref name=":6" /> Reno was one of two candidates Gerstein recommended to replace him.<ref name=":6" />

===State Attorney===
[[File:Portrait_of_Florida's_first_woman_State_Attorney_Janet_Reno.jpg|alt=|left|thumb|Portrait of Florida's first woman State Attorney Janet Reno in 1978.]]
In January 1978, Governor Askew appointed Reno the [[State's attorney|State Attorney]] for Dade County (now called Miami-Dade County).<ref name=":6" /> She was the first woman to serve as a state attorney in Florida.<ref name=":6" /> She was elected to the Office of State Attorney in November 1978 and was returned to office by the voters four more times. Reno ran as a liberal, pro-choice Democrat even though Miami-Dade was a conservative county.<ref name=":5">{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/4560767/janet-reno-early-history/|title=How Janet Reno Got Her Start|last=Zorthian|first=Julia|magazine=Time|access-date=October 20, 2017|archive-date=February 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170221164636/http://time.com/4560767/janet-reno-early-history/|url-status=live}}</ref> Reno did not always face serious challengers, although in 1984 [[Cuban Americans|Cuban-American]] lawyer Jose Garcia-Pedrosa ran against Reno, and picked up the endorsement of the ''[[Miami Herald]]'' editorial board.<ref name=":6" /> In spite of his support among Miami's Hispanic voters, Reno won the election decisively.<ref name=":6" />

The office she led included 95 attorneys and an annual caseload that included 15,000 felonies and 40,000 misdemeanors.<ref name=":6" /> As state attorney, she developed a reputation for ethical behavior, going so far as to purchase a car at sticker price to avoid the appearance of impropriety.<ref name=":5" />

==== Drug court ====
{{further|Drug courts in the United States}}
She established a [[drug court]] which was later replicated in other parts of the country.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/obituaries/article113009183.html|title=Janet Reno, former Miami-Dade state attorney and U.S. attorney general, dies at 78|last1=Driscoll|first1=Amy|date=November 7, 2016|work=miamiherald|access-date=October 20, 2017|last2=Weaver|first2=Jay|language=en|last3=Brecher|first3=Elinor J.|archive-date=October 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171021111701/http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/obituaries/article113009183.html|url-status=live}}</ref> She worked actively in various civic organizations, including the Miami Coalition for a Safe and Drug Free Community and the Beacon Council, which was formed to address Miami-Dade's economic development.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/better-dead-than-read-6365114|title=Better Dead Than Read?|last=Labbee|first=William|date=November 20, 1991|work=Miami New Times|access-date=June 10, 2018|archive-date=June 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612135740/http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/better-dead-than-read-6365114|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== McDuffie trial ====
In May 1980, Reno prosecuted five white policemen who were accused of beating a black insurance salesman, Arthur McDuffie, to death.<ref name="newyorker97">{{cite magazine|last=Mayer|first=Jane|author-link=Jane Mayer|title=Janet Reno, Alone|url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1997/12/01/janet-reno-alone|date=December 1, 1997|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|access-date=June 28, 2016|archive-date=October 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161003181519/http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1997/12/01/janet-reno-alone|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article21178995.html|title=McDuffie riots: revisiting, retelling story — 35 years later|last=Smiley|first=David|date=May 16, 2015|work=miamiherald|access-date=December 10, 2017|archive-date=December 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171210123654/http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article21178995.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The policemen were all acquitted.<ref name="newyorker97" /> During the resulting [[1980 Miami riots]], eighteen people were killed, with looters in [[Liberty City (Miami)|Liberty City]] angrily chanting "Reno! Reno! Reno!"<ref name="newyorker97" /> Reno met with nearly all of her critics, and a few months later, she won reelection in a landslide.<ref name="newyorker97" />

==== Child abuse prosecutions ====
{{further|Country Walk case}}
During Reno's tenure as state attorney, she began what the [[PBS]] series ''[[Frontline (U.S. TV series)|Frontline]]'' described as a "crusade" against accused [[child abuse]]rs.<ref name="Frontline">{{cite video |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icw3AkvkbWE |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/icw3AkvkbWE |archive-date=December 11, 2021 |url-status=live |transcript=Transcript |transcript-url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/fuster/etc/script.html |title=Frontline episode "Did Daddy Do It" |publisher=[[PBS]] |date=April 25, 2002}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Reno pioneered the "Miami Method",<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/fuster/etc/miami.html |title=The Miami Method of Prosecuting Child Abuse Cases {{pipe}} Did Daddy do It {{pipe}} FRONTLINE {{pipe}} PBS |publisher=PBS |access-date=February 24, 2020 |archive-date=August 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802054946/https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/fuster/etc/miami.html |url-status=live }}</ref> "a controversial technique for eliciting intimate details from young children and inspired passage of a law allowing them to testify by closed-circuit television, out of the possibly intimidating presence of their suspected molesters."<ref name="Answers">{{cite news |title=Editorial: Reno owes the public answers |date=April 28, 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120731040915/http://www.sptimes.com/2002/04/28/Perspective/Reno_owes_the_public_.shtml |archive-date=July 31, 2012 |newspaper=[[St. Petersburg Times]] |url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2002/04/28/reno-owes-the-public-answers/}}</ref> [[Bobby Fijnje]], "a 14-year-old boy, was acquitted after his attorneys discredited the children's persistent interrogations by a [[psychologist]] who called herself the 'yucky secrets doctor'."<ref name="Answers"/><ref name=spi98/> [[Grant Snowden]] was acquitted, retried, convicted,<ref name=ph96/> and eventually freed by a federal appeals court after 12 years in prison."<ref name=wsj96/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB887932355301364500|title=Reno Overturned|date=February 20, 1998|via=www.wsj.com|newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030428110802/http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a101792.htm |archive-date=April 28, 2003}}</ref>

Reno's "model case" was against [[Frank Fuster]], co-owner of the Country Walk Babysitting Service in a suburb of Miami, Florida.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-11-23-bk-12359-story.html |title=Unspeakable Acts by Jan Hollingsworth (Congdon & Weed: $17.95; 581 pp.) |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=November 23, 1986 |access-date=May 15, 2020 |archive-date=August 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801230432/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-11-23-bk-12359-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1984, he was found guilty of 14 counts of abuse<ref name="Collins">{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0DEFDC163DF937A25751C1A960948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print |title=Nightmare in Country Walk |last=Collins |first=Glen |date=December 14, 1986 |work=The New York Times |access-date=July 1, 2008}}</ref> and sentenced to prison with a minimum of 165 years.<ref name=dn/> Fuster was convicted based in large part on the testimony of his 18-year-old wife, Ileana Flores, who pleaded guilty and testified against him,<ref name="Answers" /><ref name=na93/> after allegedly being tortured.<ref name=kw>{{cite web |url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/10/kavanaugh-confirmation-battle-mass-hysteria-roots/ |title=The Road to Waco |website=[[National Review]] |date=October 4, 2018 |access-date=April 6, 2020 |archive-date=June 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200607203548/https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/10/kavanaugh-confirmation-battle-mass-hysteria-roots/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In a 2002 episode of ''[[Frontline (U.S. TV series)|Frontline]]'', Flores maintained that she and her ex-husband were innocent,<ref name=tbt/> and that Reno personally pressured her to confess.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/fuster/interviews/ileana.html|title=Interviews – Ileana Flores {{pipe}} Did Daddy Do It {{pipe}} FRONTLINE {{pipe}} PBS|website=www.pbs.org|access-date=March 17, 2020|archive-date=August 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802060733/https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/fuster/interviews/ileana.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The number and timing of Reno's visits are in dispute.<ref name=dn>{{cite web|url=https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/the-public-was-shocked-country-walk-parents-demanded-action-an-election-was-near-janet-reno-was-going-to-send-someone-to-jail-no-matter-what-6364629|title=The public was shocked. Country Walk parents demanded action. An election was near. Janet Reno was going to send someone to jail. No matter what.|first=Debbie|last=Nathan|author-link=Debbie Nathan|date=March 3, 1993|website=Miami New Times|access-date=March 13, 2020|archive-date=April 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200401041805/https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/the-public-was-shocked-country-walk-parents-demanded-action-an-election-was-near-janet-reno-was-going-to-send-someone-to-jail-no-matter-what-6364629|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=ipt/> {{As of|2020|post=,}} Fuster remains imprisoned.<ref name=kw/>

In 1989, as Florida state attorney, Reno pressed adult charges against 13-year-old [[Bobby Fijnje]], who was accused of sexually molesting 21 children in his care during church services. The charges were driven by the testimony of children interviewed by mental-health professionals using techniques later discredited.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/terror/interviews/ceci.html |title=Interviews – Dr. Stephen Ceci {{pipe}} The Child Terror |work=Frontline |publisher=PBS |access-date=January 29, 2015 |archive-date=June 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150612101734/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/terror/interviews/ceci.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ipt-forensics.com/journal/volume10/j10_br20.htm |title=Book Review – 'Witch Hunt: A True Story of Social Hysteria and Abused Justice' |work=IPT Journal |date=April 15, 2014 |access-date=January 29, 2015 |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924040015/http://www.ipt-forensics.com/journal/volume10/j10_br20.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Fijnje refused plea-bargain offers.<ref name=mnt/><ref name=Fijnje/> During the trial, the prosecution was unable to present any witnesses to the alleged abuse. After two years of investigation and trial, Fijnje was acquitted of all charges.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/terror/cases/fijnjeinterview.html |title=Bobby Fijnje – Interview {{pipe}} The Child Terror |work=Frontline |publisher=PBS |date=May 5, 1991 |access-date=January 29, 2015 |archive-date=May 30, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150530025235/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/terror/cases/fijnjeinterview.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/terror/cases/fijnjeletter.html |title=Bobby Fijnje – Fijnje Jury's Letter To Janet Reno {{pipe}} The Child Terror |work=Frontline |publisher=PBS |date=May 9, 1991 |access-date=January 29, 2015 |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924162514/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/terror/cases/fijnjeletter.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

When Reno was nominated for attorney general in the [[Presidency of Bill Clinton|Clinton administration]], ''[[the Nation]]''<ref name=na93>{{cite magazine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513034656/https://www.skepticfiles.org/rumor/j-renotn.htm |archive-date=May 13, 2008 |author-link=Alexander Cockburn |first=Alexander |last=Cockburn |title=Janet Reno's Coerced Confession |magazine=[[The Nation]] |date=March 8, 1993 |pages=296–297 |url=https://ncrj.org/_fuster/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/CockburnBeatTheDevil.pdf |url-status=live }} [https://groups.google.com/forum/#!search/%22Janet$20Reno$27s$20Coerced$20Confession%22/misc.activism.progressive/cr1XmhTkYPs/86oJLevHrusJ Alt URL] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215234906/https://groups.google.com/forum/#!search/%22Janet$20Reno$27s$20Coerced$20Confession%22/misc.activism.progressive/cr1XmhTkYPs/86oJLevHrusJ |date=February 15, 2018 }}</ref> and ''[[Miami New Times]]''<ref name=dn/><ref name=mnt>{{cite web|url=https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/reno-reconsidered-part-b-6364430|title=Reno Reconsidered (Part B)|first=Steven|last=Almond|date=March 3, 1993|website=Miami New Times|access-date=November 16, 2019|archive-date=November 3, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041103063834/http://www.miaminewtimes.com/Issues/1993-03-03/news/feature.html|url-status=live}}</ref> raised questions about her handling of these cases, [[Debbie Nathan]]'s journal article<ref name=ipt>{{cite journal |url=http://www.ipt-forensics.com/journal/volume5/j5_1_1.htm |title=Revisiting Country Walk |website=IPT Journal |date=1993 |first=Debbie |last=Nathan |author-link=Debbie Nathan |access-date=May 13, 2020 |archive-date=July 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200717100504/http://www.ipt-forensics.com/journal/volume5/j5_1_1.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> was faxed to the White House, and Fijnje's father (a Dutch diplomat) "sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee".<ref name=Fijnje>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031004201601/http://www.ags.uci.edu/~dehill/witchhunt/ccla/pages/fijnje.htm|author=B. Fijnje|year=1993 |title=Open Letter to the American People |archive-date=October 4, 2003 |url=https://totseans.com/totse/en/politics/political_spew/reno.html}}</ref><ref name=ruhw>{{cite journal |last1=Underwager |first1=Ralph |author1-link=Ralph Underwager |last2=Wakefield |first2=Hollida |title=Untying the Gordian Knot: A Return to Reason |url=http://www.ipt-forensics.com/journal/volume6/j6_4_1.htm |journal=IPT Journal |volume=6 |number=4 |year=1994 |access-date=May 13, 2020 |archive-date=July 19, 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040719224359/http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Embassy/9062/Commentary.txt |url-status=live }}</ref> However, Reno was not directly questioned about them.<ref name=ph96>{{cite magazine |last=Rosenthal |first=Robert |title=Janet Reno's Child Abuse |url=https://fathersmanifesto.net/renorosn.htm |magazine=[[Penthouse (magazine)|Penthouse]] |date=1996 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961221010134/http://www.penthousemag.com/magazine/p05may/05reno.html |archive-date=December 21, 1996}}</ref><ref name=wsj01>{{cite news |title=Confirmation Chronicles |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB979868348425004615 |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |date=January 19, 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030724214122/http://www.opinionjournal.com/medialog/?id=85000460 |archive-date=July 24, 2003}}</ref> When she was asked in 2002, Reno said that she lacked the time to review the [[Country Walk case]] files.<ref name="Frontline"/><ref name=tbt>{{cite web |title=Frontline' airs allegations against Reno |url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2002/04/25/frontline-airs-allegations-against-reno/ |website=Tampa Bay Times |access-date=March 16, 2020 |archive-date=August 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802080944/https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2002/04/25/frontline-airs-allegations-against-reno/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Death penalty ====
Although Reno personally opposed the death penalty, her office secured 80 capital punishment convictions during her tenure.<ref name=":12">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-02-12-mn-1423-story.html|title=Miami Prosecutor Is Atty. Gen. Choice : Cabinet: Janet Reno has a reputation as a politically savvy official. The White House hopes her nomination will end the controversy over previous contenders.|last=Lauter|first=David|date=February 12, 1993|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=August 27, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035|archive-date=October 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018135620/http://articles.latimes.com/1993-02-12/news/mn-1423_1_janet-reno|url-status=live}}</ref> None of these were executed during her tenure, but five were later executed.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/state-and-federal-info/federal-death-penalty/executions-under-the-federal-death-penalty |title=Executions Under the Federal Death Penalty |access-date=November 19, 2019 |archive-date=February 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205173643/https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/state-and-federal-info/federal-death-penalty/executions-under-the-federal-death-penalty |url-status=live }}</ref>

==U.S. Attorney General==
[[File:Clinton Administration.jpg|thumb|President Clinton's Cabinet, 1993. The President is seated front right, with Vice President [[Al Gore]] seated front left.]]
[[File:Bill Clinton with Al Gore and Janet Reno.jpg|thumb|Reno in the [[White House Rose Garden]] with Vice President Gore and President Clinton]]
[[File:05.PeaceOfficersMemorial.WDC.15May1998 (24337317374).jpg|thumb|Reno speaking at the 1998 [[Peace Officers Memorial Day|National Peace Officers' Memorial Service]]]]
[[File:Biden Crime Bill.jpg|thumb|right|Reno looks on as Sen. Joe Biden speaks at the signing of the 1994 Crime Bill]]
President-elect [[Bill Clinton]] had vowed to assemble an administration that "looked like America", and it was widely assumed that one of the major cabinet posts would go to a woman.<ref name=":13">{{cite web|url=https://www.justice.gov/jmd/ls/agbiographies.htm#reno|title=Biographies of the Attorneys General|publisher=Justice.gov|access-date=May 28, 2011|archive-date=May 19, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519073051/http://www.justice.gov/jmd/ls/agbiographies.htm#reno|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-03-04-mn-304-story.html|title=Reno's Confirmation Hearing to Start Tuesday|last=Associated Press|date=March 4, 1993|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=August 27, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035|archive-date=December 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151209113134/http://articles.latimes.com/1993-03-04/news/mn-304_1_confirmation-hearing|url-status=live}}</ref> On February 11, 1993, Clinton introduced Reno as his nominee for [[United States Attorney General]], stating that he wanted to hire a woman for the job but had also considered multiple male candidates.<ref name=":12" /> Both of his previous choices, [[Zoë Baird]] and [[Kimba Wood]], faced problems because [[Nannygate|both had employed undocumented immigrants as nannies]].<ref name="Fox News, Reno dies at 78" /> Clinton said he had discounted Reno early in his search because she did not have experience in the [[United States Department of Justice|Justice Department]] or [[Law of the United States|federal law]], but ultimately he came to understand that she had experience with a variety of criminal law issues from her role as State Attorney.<ref name=":12" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/govt/admin/stories/reno021293.htm|title=Washingtonpost.com: Clinton Nominates Reno at Justice|last=Marcus|first=Ruth|date=February 12, 1993|website=www.washingtonpost.com|access-date=August 27, 2018|archive-date=September 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180903184626/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/govt/admin/stories/reno021293.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> On March 11, 1993, the [[United States Senate|Senate]] confirmed Reno by a vote of 98 to 0.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/03/12/us/reno-is-confirmed-in-top-justice-job.html|title=RENO IS CONFIRMED IN TOP JUSTICE JOB|last=Ifill|first=Gwen|date=March 12, 1993|work=The New York Times|access-date=August 27, 2018|archive-date=June 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180624010549/https://www.nytimes.com/1993/03/12/us/reno-is-confirmed-in-top-justice-job.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":14" /> She was sworn in the next day, becoming the first woman to serve as U.S. Attorney General.<ref name=":13" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.c-span.org/video/?38686-1/attorney-general-swearing-ceremony|title=Attorney General Swearing-in Ceremony|date=March 12, 1993|website=C-SPAN.org|language=en-US|access-date=August 27, 2018|archive-date=August 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180828071035/https://www.c-span.org/video/?38686-1/attorney-general-swearing-ceremony|url-status=live}}</ref> As Attorney General, Reno oversaw the Justice Department and its 95,000 employees.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-janet-reno-snap-story.html|title=Janet Reno, the first woman to serve as attorney general, dies at 78 after years-long struggle with Parkinson's disease|last=Phelps|first=Timothy M.|date=November 7, 2016|website=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=August 27, 2018|archive-date=August 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180828071214/http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-janet-reno-snap-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Reno remained Attorney General for the rest of Clinton's presidency, making her the longest-serving Attorney General since [[William Wirt (Attorney General)|William Wirt]] in 1829.<ref name="Fox News, Reno dies at 78" />

In 1994, Reno tasked the Justice Department with compiling a report on DNA exoneration. The science was still new at that point in time. Reno commissioned the report after reading about the exoneration of a death row inmate. She wanted to know how many cases existed like the one she read about and what the Department of Justice could learn from it. The resulting report concluded there was a strong possibility that many more wrongful convictions that could be cleared with DNA evidence existed. Reno changed policies on how to interview eyewitnesses and laboratory protocols in response.<ref name=":14">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/11/nyregion/janet-reno-was-unafraid-of-science-that-could-exonerate-the-innocent.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220103/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/11/nyregion/janet-reno-was-unafraid-of-science-that-could-exonerate-the-innocent.html |archive-date=January 3, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Janet Reno Was Unafraid of Science That Could Exonerate the Innocent|last=Dwyer|first=Jim|date=November 10, 2016|work=The New York Times|access-date=June 23, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

The following [[United States Department of Justice|Department of Justice]] actions occurred during Reno's tenure:
* The 51-day [[Waco siege]] standoff and resulting 76 deaths—the [[Branch Davidians]]—in [[Waco, Texas]]. (The standoff began on February 28, 1993, twelve days before Reno was installed as attorney general). Reno stated in congressional testimony that she authorized the FBI assault on the Branch Davidians because of reports that militia groups were en route to Waco during the standoff "either to help [Branch Davidian leader David] Koresh or to attack him."<ref>{{cite web |last=Rosenbloom |first=Joe III |title=Waco: More than Simple Blunders? |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/waco/blunders.html |agency=The Wall Street Journal |publisher=PBS.org |date=October 17, 1995 |access-date=June 16, 2010 |archive-date=September 30, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170930081343/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/waco/blunders.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The FBI had also, erroneously, reported to Reno that children were being abused at the compound.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.vox.com/2016/1/5/10714746/waco-ruby-ridge-oregon|title=History shows us why the feds aren't going into the Oregon standoff with guns blazing|last=Lind|first=Dara|date=January 5, 2016|work=Vox|access-date=August 25, 2018|archive-date=August 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180826113455/https://www.vox.com/2016/1/5/10714746/waco-ruby-ridge-oregon|url-status=live}}</ref> Reno publicly expressed her regret of the decision to storm the compound, and accepted full responsibility for the loss of life.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Janet-Reno |title=Janet Reno {{pipe}} United States attorney general |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |date=November 7, 2016 |access-date=November 7, 2016 |archive-date=October 11, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011214809/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Janet-Reno |url-status=live }}</ref>
* The antitrust division brought [[United States v. Microsoft Corp. (2001)|suit]] against the software company [[Microsoft]] for violation of the [[Sherman Antitrust Act]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/04/04/business/us-vs-microsoft-overview-us-judge-says-microsoft-violated-antitrust-laws-with.html|title=U.S. VS. MICROSOFT: THE OVERVIEW; U.S. JUDGE SAYS MICROSOFT VIOLATED ANTITRUST LAWS WITH PREDATORY BEHAVIOR|last=Brinkley|first=Joel|date=April 4, 2000|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=November 7, 2016|archive-date=December 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161216210441/http://www.nytimes.com/2000/04/04/business/us-vs-microsoft-overview-us-judge-says-microsoft-violated-antitrust-laws-with.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{cite news|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2014/04/judge-says-microsoft-violates-antitrust-act-april-3-2000-105298|title=Judge says Microsoft violates antitrust act, April 3, 2000|last=Glass|first=Andrew|date=April 3, 2014|work=POLITICO|access-date=June 10, 2018|archive-date=June 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612140318/https://www.politico.com/story/2014/04/judge-says-microsoft-violates-antitrust-act-april-3-2000-105298|url-status=live}}</ref> The Justice Department alleged that Microsoft was bundling its browser with its operating system to decrease competition for other browser makers.<ref name=":8" /> Microsoft executive [[Steve Ballmer]] responded to the suit saying "To Heck with Janet Reno", a comment for which he later expressed regret.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/node/15108468|title=The end, sort of|date=December 16, 2009|newspaper=The Economist|access-date=June 11, 2018|archive-date=June 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143634/https://www.economist.com/node/15108468|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/10-dumbest-tech-pr-moves-ever/3/|title=10 dumbest tech PR moves ever|date=June 18, 2011|work=cbs.com|access-date=June 10, 2018|archive-date=June 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143848/https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/10-dumbest-tech-pr-moves-ever/3/|url-status=live}}</ref> The case was ultimately settled in 2001, after Reno's departure.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/07/politics/janet-reno-10-things-historic-career/index.html|title=Janet Reno's career punctuated by highs, lows|last=McLaughlin|first=Eliott C.|date=November 7, 2016|publisher=CNN|access-date=June 11, 2017|archive-date=January 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170117115102/http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/07/politics/janet-reno-10-things-historic-career/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Declining to question anyone in the [[Wenatchee child abuse prosecutions]],<ref name=wsj96>{{cite news |last=Rabinowitz |first=Dorothy |author-link=Dorothy Rabinowitz |title=The Pursuit of Justice in Dade County |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB846454858888293000 |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |date=October 28, 1996 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030803074347/http://www.psych.mcgill.ca/courses/xcourses/oct29.htm |archive-date=August 3, 2003}}</ref> with Reno concluding there was no "evidence of prosecutable violations of federal civil rights law".<ref name=spi98>{{cite news |title=Justice's watchdogs looked the other way: An angry reaction |url=http://www.lawreport.org/ViewStory.aspx?StoryID=553 |newspaper=[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]] |date=February 27, 1998 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040206195509/http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/powertoharm/probe2.html |archive-date=February 6, 2004}}</ref>
* Prosecution resulting in the conviction of 21 of the [[Montana Freemen]], a group that did not believe there should be government above the county level, after an 81-day armed standoff which ended without loss of life.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1996/06/14/81-day-freemen-standoff-ends-without-bloodshed/|title=81-day Freemen Standoff Ends Without Bloodshed|newspaper=tribunedigital-chicagotribune|access-date=November 7, 2016|archive-date=November 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161107221321/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1996-06-14/news/9606140175_1_freemen-standoff-fbi-agents|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":9">{{cite news|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/twenty-years-ago-today-the-montana-freeman-started-its-81-day-standoff-180958568/|title=Twenty Years Ago Today, the Montana Freemen Started Its 81-Day Standoff|last=Lewis|first=Danny|date=March 25, 2016|work=Smithsonian|access-date=August 25, 2018|archive-date=August 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180826150112/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/twenty-years-ago-today-the-montana-freeman-started-its-81-day-standoff-180958568/|url-status=live}}</ref> In March 1996, Montana Freemen began a 61-day standoff with the FBI after the FBI arrested three members of the group for refusing to leave property from which they had been evicted.<ref name=":9" /> Following the tragedy at Waco, the FBI was determined to avoid violence, and Reno assured the public that the FBI was looking for a peaceful solution to the standoff.<ref name=":9" /> 
* Capture and conviction of [[Ted Kaczynski]], the Unabomber.<ref name=":WaPo, The Administration, Reno">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/govt/admin/reno.htm|title=Washingtonpost.com: Politics – The Administration, Janet Reno|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=November 7, 2016|archive-date=December 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161204071109/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/govt/admin/reno.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="CNN, Reno, first female US AG" />
* Capture and conviction of [[Timothy McVeigh]] and [[Terry Nichols]] for the [[Oklahoma City bombing]].<ref name=":WaPo, The Administration, Reno" /><ref name="CNN, Reno, first female US AG" />
* Capture and conviction of those who conducted the [[1993 World Trade Center bombing]], resulting in life-sentences of Sheik [[Omar Abdel-Rahman]] and four conspirators.<ref name="CNN, Reno, first female US AG">{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/07/politics/janet-reno-dies/index.html|title=Janet Reno, first female US attorney general, dies|last=Blau|first=Max|publisher=CNN|access-date=November 7, 2016|archive-date=November 8, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161108000008/http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/07/politics/janet-reno-dies/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Leak to the news media regarding [[Richard Jewell]] that led to the widespread and incorrect presumption of his guilt in the [[Centennial Olympic Park bombing]]. She later apologized, saying "I'm very sorry it happened. I think we owe him an apology. I regret the leak."<ref name="Reno to Jewell">{{cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/US/9707/31/reno.jewell/index.html |title=Reno to Jewell: 'I regret the leak' |website=[[CNN]] |date=July 31, 1997 |access-date=May 19, 2007 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304024352/http://www.cnn.com/US/9707/31/reno.jewell/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* The government's unsuccessful defense of the [[Communications Decency Act]], which culminated in the Supreme Court decision ''[[Reno v. American Civil Liberties Union]]''.
* Identification of the correct suspect ([[Eric Rudolph]]) in the [[Centennial Olympic Park bombing]] and other bombings, who remained a fugitive throughout her tenure.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/193561.stm|title=BBC News {{!}} Americas {{!}} Fugitive charged with Atlanta bombing|publisher=BBC|access-date=November 7, 2016|archive-date=November 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161107230039/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/193561.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> Rudolph was apprehended in 2003 and pleaded guilty to the attacks.
* Capture and conviction of [[Mir Qazi]] for the [[1993 shootings at CIA Headquarters]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.justiceatstake.org/diversity/women_in_the_law/janet-reno/|title=Janet Reno – JAS|last=globalreach.com|first=Global Reach Internet Productions, LLC – Ames, IA -|publisher=justiceatstake.org|access-date=November 7, 2016|archive-date=November 8, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161108052014/http://www.justiceatstake.org/diversity/women_in_the_law/janet-reno/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* The armed seizure of six-year-old [[Elián González]] and his return to his father, who eventually took him home to Cuba; Elián's mother and stepfather had died in a dangerous trip by sea, and though his U.S. relatives had lost custody to his father in court, local officials did not enforce the ruling.  Reno made the decision to remove Elián González from the house of a relative and return him to his father in Cuba.<ref name="Notable Biographies, Reno" />

=== Clinton administration investigations ===
In 1994, Reno appointed [[Robert B. Fiske|Robert Fiske]] special counsel to investigate Bill Clinton's involvement in [[Whitewater controversy|Whitewater]], a controversy stemming from Clinton's business dealings during his time as Governor of [[Arkansas]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/janet-renos-time-attorney-general-filled-difficult-decisions/story?id=43374450|title=Reno's Time as Attorney General Filled With Difficult Decisions|last=ABC News|date=November 9, 2016|publisher=ABC News|access-date=September 1, 2018|archive-date=September 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180902012135/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/janet-renos-time-attorney-general-filled-difficult-decisions/story?id=43374450|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="WaPo Whitewater Time Line">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/whitewater/timeline.htm|title=Whitewater Time Line|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=September 1, 2018|archive-date=January 31, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110131094948/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/whitewater/timeline.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Fiske wrapped up his criminal investigation within six months, and found no link between Whitewater and the [[Suicide of Vince Foster|suicide]] of former [[White House Counsel|Deputy White House Counsel]] [[Vince Foster]].<ref name="WaPo Whitewater Time Line" /><ref name="NPR, Clinton Vs. Starr">{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123653000 |title='Clinton Vs. Starr': A 'Definitive' Account |work=[[Fresh Air]] |publisher=NPR |access-date=September 1, 2018 |archive-date=September 2, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180902012057/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123653000 |url-status=live }}</ref> Congress reauthorized the investigation and in August 1994, a panel of judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals overseeing the special counsel refused to reappoint Fiske.<ref name="WaPo Whitewater Time Line" /><ref name="NPR, Clinton Vs. Starr" /> The panel considered it a conflict of interest for Fiske to investigate Clinton because Reno, a member of the Clinton Administration, appointed Fiske. Instead, the panel appointed former member of the Reagan and Bush Administrations [[Ken Starr]] to continue the Whitewater investigation.<ref name="WaPo Whitewater Time Line" /> Starr concluded the Whitewater investigation in December 1997 due to insufficient evidence.<ref name="NPR, Clinton Vs. Starr" /> The following month, Starr received permission from Reno to redirect his probe into conduct related to the [[Paula Jones]] and [[Monica Lewinsky]] affairs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1998/resources/lewinsky/timeline/|title=A Chronology: Key Moments In The Clinton-Lewinsky Saga|website=www.cnn.com|access-date=September 1, 2018|archive-date=February 26, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170226230732/http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1998/resources/lewinsky/timeline/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/1998/nov/18/clinton.usa|title=Clinton impeachment timeline|last=Barkham|first=Patrick|date=November 19, 1998|website=The Guardian|access-date=September 1, 2018|archive-date=February 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228133624/http://www.theguardian.com/world/1998/nov/18/clinton.usa|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Starr Report|Starr's Report]], issued in September 1998, listed eleven grounds for impeachment against Clinton.

In 1998, the [[United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform|House Government Reform and Oversight Committee]], in a party line vote, voted to recommend the House cite Reno for [[contempt of Congress]] for not turning over two internal Justice Department memos related to a campaign finance controversy during the impeachment of [[President of the United States|President]] [[Bill Clinton]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1033815 |title=CONTEMPT? |date=August 6, 1998 |work=[[All Things Considered]] |publisher=[[NPR]] |access-date=September 1, 2018 |archive-date=September 2, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180902052243/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1033815 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":15">{{cite news|title=Reno Cited For Contempt|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1998/08/07/reno-cited-for-contempt/|last=Bendavid|first=Naftali|date=August 7, 1998|work=tribunedigital-chicagotribune|access-date=September 1, 2018|archive-date=September 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180902012120/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1998-08-07/news/9808070057_1_gen-janet-reno-contempt-miss-reno|url-status=live}}</ref> Reno contended she refused to turn over the documents sought because the documents would reveal prosecutor strategy in an ongoing investigation.<ref name=":15" /> Reno argued that her actions were in defense of the principle that prosecutors should be free of political influence.<ref name=":15" /> The full House of Representatives never voted on the resolution and the documents were turned over to the House.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/gallery/2012/06/10-politicians-threatened-with-contempt/000217-002701.html|title=10 politicians threatened with contempt – 6 of 10|website=www.politico.com|access-date=September 1, 2018|archive-date=September 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180902084217/https://www.politico.com/gallery/2012/06/10-politicians-threatened-with-contempt/000217-002701.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Later career==
Reno ran for [[Florida gubernatorial election, 2002|Governor of Florida in 2002]], but lost in the Democratic primary to [[Bill McBride (politician)|Bill McBride]] 44% to 44.4%. Voting problems arose in the election, and she did not concede defeat until a week later.<ref>{{cite news|title=Reno Concedes Defeat in Fla. Primary|last=Roig-Franzia|first=Manuel|date=September 18, 2002|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>

After her tenure as United States Attorney General and her unsuccessful gubernatorial bid, Reno toured the country giving speeches on topics relating to the criminal justice system. On March 31, 2006, she spoke at a [[criminology]] conference at the [[University of Pennsylvania]]. She stated that she believed the [[Education in the United States|education system in the United States]] needs to be improved, as there is a link between the quality of education and the crime rate. She also believed that too much money has been diverted away from the [[juvenile court]] system and that the government should find some way to make the juvenile courts work effectively, so as to prevent problems in troubled children and adolescents before these problems are exacerbated by the time they reach adulthood.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crim.upenn.edu/news.htm|title=Department of Criminology News|publisher=[[University of Pennsylvania]]|access-date=January 5, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071024134642/http://www.crim.upenn.edu/news.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = October 24, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://thedp.com/node/49167|work=Daily Pennsylvanian|date=April 3, 2006|last=Simon|first=Stephanie|title=Reno: Focus on science of preventing crimes|access-date=November 8, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725022626/http://thedp.com/node/49167|archive-date=July 25, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Reno was a founding member of the board of directors for the [[Innocence Project]], a nonprofit organization which assists prisoners who may be exonerated through DNA testing, in 2004.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.innocenceproject.org/about/Board-of-Directors.php |publisher=The Innocence Project |title=About Us: Board of Directors |website=Innocenceproject.org |access-date=February 15, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070217092311/http://www.innocenceproject.org/about/Board-of-Directors.php |archive-date=February 17, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.innocenceproject.org/memoriam-honorable-janet-reno/|title=In Memoriam: The Honorable Janet Reno|last=Salizar|first=Carlita|date=November 7, 2016|work=Innocence Project|access-date=June 23, 2017|language=en-US|archive-date=November 14, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161114111712/http://www.innocenceproject.org/memoriam-honorable-janet-reno/|url-status=live}}</ref> By 2013 she was director [[emeritus]] of the board of directors.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.innocenceproject.org/tune-in-innocence-project-board-of-directors-director-emeritus-janet-reno-on-the-simpsons/|title=Tune In: Innocence Project Board of Directors' Director Emeritus Janet Reno on "The Simpsons" – Innocence Project|date=March 15, 2013|work=Innocence Project|access-date=June 23, 2017|language=en-US|archive-date=August 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801234357/https://www.innocenceproject.org/tune-in-innocence-project-board-of-directors-director-emeritus-janet-reno-on-the-simpsons/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Reno never married and did not have children.<ref name= WashP_obit>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/janet-reno-former-us-attorney-general-dies-at-78/2016/11/07/50fe8810-a4cc-11e6-8042-f4d111c862d1_story.html |title=Janet Reno, former U.S. attorney general, dies at 78 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |first=Stephanie |last=Hanes |date=November 7, 2016 |access-date=November 7, 2016 |archive-date=November 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161107185218/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/janet-reno-former-us-attorney-general-dies-at-78/2016/11/07/50fe8810-a4cc-11e6-8042-f4d111c862d1_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> She took [[Spanish (language)|Spanish]] lessons during her time as state attorney.<ref name=":6" /> She remained active after her diagnosis of [[Parkinson's disease]] in 1995; she learned [[inline skating]] in 1996.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://time.com/4560375/attorney-general-janet-reno-death/ |title=6 Things Janet Reno Will Be Remembered For |last=Samuelson |first=Kate |date=November 7, 2016 |magazine=Time |access-date=August 27, 2018 |archive-date=August 19, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819114814/http://time.com/4560375/attorney-general-janet-reno-death/ |url-status=live }}</ref> After her mother's death in 1992, Reno inherited her childhood home.<ref name=":0" /> In response to a 1998 ''Saturday Night Live'' sketch, which portrayed her as lonely, former Justice Department public affairs director Carl Stern said, "Both in Florida and in Washington she has a great many friends whose homes she visits, and she goes to plays, her dance card is full."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/11/07/how-janet-reno-came-to-embrace-will-ferrells-absurd-snl-impression/|title=How Janet Reno came to embrace Will Ferrell's absurd SNL impression|last=Izadi|first=Elahe|date=November 7, 2016|newspaper=The Washington Post|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286|access-date=November 8, 2016|archive-date=November 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161107232543/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/11/07/how-janet-reno-came-to-embrace-will-ferrells-absurd-snl-impression/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Death==
Reno died from Parkinson's disease on November 7, 2016. She was surrounded by friends and family at the end of her life, including her sister Maggy and her goddaughter.<ref name="Anderson, Curt, Reno died">{{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/janet-reno-us-attorney-general-died-43353469|title=Janet Reno, Former US Attorney General, Dies at Age 78|last=Anderson|first=Curt|date=November 7, 2016|newspaper=ABC News|access-date=November 8, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110121255/https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/janet-reno-us-attorney-general-died-43353469|archive-date=November 10, 2016|via=archive.org}}</ref> Upon her death, President [[Barack Obama]] praised Reno for her "intellect, integrity, and fierce commitment to justice"<ref>{{cite news|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2016/11/07/statement-passing-janet-reno|title=Statement on the Passing of Janet Reno|date=November 7, 2016|work=whitehouse.gov|access-date=August 25, 2018|archive-date=August 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180826113340/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2016/11/07/statement-passing-janet-reno|url-status=live}}</ref> and President Clinton released a statement thanking Reno "for her service, counsel, and friendship".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.clintonfoundation.org/press-releases/statement-president-clinton-and-secretary-clinton-passing-janet-reno|title=Statement from President Clinton and Secretary Clinton on the Passing of Janet Reno|date=November 7, 2016|work=Clinton Foundation|access-date=August 25, 2018|archive-date=August 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180826113458/https://www.clintonfoundation.org/press-releases/statement-president-clinton-and-secretary-clinton-passing-janet-reno|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Awards and honors ==
''[[Glamour (magazine)|Glamour]]'' magazine named Reno one of its "Women of the Year" for 1993.<ref name=":10">{{cite news |url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/12/janet-reno-obit-214567 |title=Remembering Janet Reno |last=Douglas |first=Susan J. |date=December 31, 2018 |work=POLITICO Magazine |access-date=August 25, 2018 |archive-date=August 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802000650/https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/12/janet-reno-obit-214567 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2000, Reno was inducted into the [[National Women's Hall of Fame]].<ref>[https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/janet-reno/ National Women's Hall of Fame, Janet Reno] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818023224/https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/janet-reno/ |date=August 18, 2020 }}.</ref> In March 2008, Reno received the Council on Litigation Management's<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.litmgmt.org/ |title=Council on Litigation Management |website=Litmgmt.org |access-date=May 28, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514143711/http://www.litmgmt.org/ |archive-date=May 14, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Professionalism Award, which recognizes and commemorates an individual who has demonstrated the unique ability to lead others by example in the highest standard of their profession.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

On April 17, 2009, Reno was awarded the Justice Award by the [[American Judicature Society]].<ref>[http://www.ajs.org/ajs/pdfs/RenoMedRelFINAL.pdf "Former Attorney General to Receive National Award"]{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}} AJS Media Release. January 15, 2009. Retrieved April 17, 2009.</ref> [[Eric Holder]], Attorney General in the [[Presidency of Barack Obama|Obama Administration]], presented the award to Reno. Seth Andersen, Executive Vice President of AJS said the award recognizes "her commitment to improving our systems of justice and educating Americans about our great common enterprise – to ensure equality under the law".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2009/04/holder-to-present-reno-with-ajss-justice-award.html |title=Holder to Present Reno with AJS's Justice Award |last=Palazzolo |first=Joe |work=The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times |date=April 17, 2009 |access-date=April 18, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090422014517/http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2009/04/holder-to-present-reno-with-ajss-justice-award.html |archive-date=April 22, 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The award is the highest given by the AJS, and recognizes significant contributions toward improvements in the administration of justice within the United States.

== In popular culture ==
Reno had a higher profile than many of her immediate predecessors.<ref name=":11">{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/govt/admin/stories/reno012598.htm?noredirect=on|title=Washingtonpost.com: Why Janet Reno Fascinates, Confounds and Even Terrifies America?|last=Mundy|first=Liza|date=January 25, 1998|website=www.washingtonpost.com|access-date=August 25, 2018|archive-date=August 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180826113333/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/govt/admin/stories/reno012598.htm?noredirect=on|url-status=live}}</ref> She appeared on the cover of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' and was the subject of a ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'' profile.<ref name=":10" />

Four days after the seizure of [[Elián González]], Reno was featured in the ''[[South Park]]'' episode "[[Quintuplets 2000]]".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kaplan |first=Don |date=April 28, 2000 |title='SOUTH PARK' MAKES QUICK WORK OF RENO RAID |url=https://nypost.com/2000/04/28/south-park-makes-quick-work-of-reno-raid/ |access-date=October 29, 2024 |language=en-US}}</ref>

Late night hosts frequently joked about her height and perceived lack of traditional femininity, and [[Will Ferrell]] repeatedly portrayed Reno on ''[[Saturday Night Live]]''.<ref name=":10" /><ref name=":11" /> In 2001, Reno appeared alongside Ferrell on ''Saturday Night Live'' in the final installment of the recurring sketch "[[Recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced 1996–1997#Janet Reno's Dance Party|Janet Reno's Dance Party]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://snl.jt.org/detail.php?i=200101205|title=SNL Archives {{pipe}} Impression|date=January 20, 2001|website=SNL.jt.org|access-date=May 28, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927162551/http://snl.jt.org/detail.php?i=200101205|archive-date=September 27, 2011}}</ref>

In a 2007 [[Super Bowl XLI]] TV commercial, Reno was among the guests at [[Chad Johnson|Chad Ochocinco]]'s [[Super Bowl]] party.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spike.com/video/chad-johnsons-super/2819646|title=Chad Johnson's Super Bowl Party – NFL – Viral Videos|date=February 4, 2007|publisher=Spike.com|access-date=May 28, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110123230000/http://www.spike.com/video/chad-johnsons-super/2819646|archive-date=January 23, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="WashP_obit" />

Reno curated a compilation of old-time American songs performed by contemporary artists, titled ''[[Song of America (album)|Song of America]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/43740-devendra-andrew-bird-danielson-on-janet-reno-comp|title=Pitchfork: Devendra, Andrew Bird, Danielson on Janet Reno Comp|date=June 26, 2007|access-date=May 28, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070626053424/http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/43740-devendra-andrew-bird-danielson-on-janet-reno-comp|archive-date=June 26, 2007}}</ref> Reno worked with music producer Ed Pettersen (her niece's husband) on the project. Reno said her goal with the project was to share music with her great-nieces and great-nephews.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11783231|title=Reno Collects the History of America Through Song|date=July 6, 2007|work=[[All Things Considered]]|publisher=NPR|access-date=June 23, 2017|archive-date=January 9, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109064015/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11783231|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2013, Reno [[voice acting|voiced]] herself for the "[[Dark Knight Court]]" episode of ''[[The Simpsons]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/janet-reno/credits/242660/100521/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180208004743/https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/janet-reno/credits/242660/100521/ |archive-date=February 8, 2018 |title=Janet Reno Credits: The Simpsons |publisher=TVGuide.com |access-date=November 7, 2016}}</ref>

She was depicted by [[Jane Lynch]] in ''[[Manhunt: Unabomber]]'', a fictionalized account of the true story of the [[FBI]]'s hunt for the [[Unabomber]].

[[Anquette]], an R&B girl group from Miami, dedicated a song to her on their 1988 album ''Respect''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/master/20995-Anquette-Respect |title='Janet Reno', Respect |date=December 10, 1988 |publisher=Discogs |access-date=August 30, 2023 |archive-date=August 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230831023137/https://www.discogs.com/master/20995-Anquette-Respect |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[The Offspring]]'s 2001 song "[[Original Prankster]]" from their album ''[[Conspiracy of One]]'' mentioned her.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Offspring - Original Prankster Lyrics |url=https://genius.com/The-offspring-original-prankster-lyrics |website=Genius |access-date=October 16, 2024}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of female justice ministers]]
* [[List of female United States Cabinet members]]
* [[List of first women lawyers and judges in the United States]]

== Explanatory notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== Citations ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== General and cited references ==
; Attribution
* ''This article incorporates text from the [https://www.justice.gov/jmd/ls/agbiographies.htm#reno Department of Justice Web site] ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302204537/http://www.justice.gov/jmd/ls/agbiographies.htm#reno |date=March 2, 2014 }}), which is in the [[public domain]].''

== Further reading ==
* {{Cite book |last=Stiehm |first=Judith Hicks |year=2023 |title=Janet Reno: A Life |location=Gainesville, FL |publisher=University Press of Florida |isbn=9780813069685 |oclc=1346070958}}

==External links==
* [https://www.justice.gov/ag/bio/reno-janet Biography] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220327091316/https://www.justice.gov/ag/bio/reno-janet |date=March 27, 2022 }} at the [[United States Department of Justice]]
* {{C-SPAN|27760}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axciugE_5H0 Interview by MTV] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230907043243/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axciugE_5H0 |date=September 7, 2023 }}

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{{USAttGen}}
{{Clinton cabinet}}
{{Florida Women's Hall of Fame}}
{{National Women's Hall of Fame}}
{{Authority control}}

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