Martha Coakley
Martha Mary Coakley (* July 14, 1953 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts) is an American lawyer and politician. Since January 2007, the Massachusetts Democrat ' Attorney General and thus a member of the government of that state.
Life and work
Born in Pittsfield, Martha Coakley grew up in North Adams, where she attended school until 1971. After a B. A. from Williams College in Williamstown in 1975, she joined the Boston University School of Law, from which she her JD in 1979 obtained. At first she worked in private law firms before Martha Coakley in 1986 moved to the prosecutor in Middlesex County. In 1991 she was appointed Head of persons accommodated in Cambridge unit to prosecute child abuse ( Child Abuse Prosecution Unit) of this prosecutor. Through the trial of a British au pair girl who was accused of having caused the death of an eight- month boy, Martha Coakley was U.S. widely known in this position.
In November 1998, she applied for the post of District Attorney in this district and was elected. This position took advantage of her until she won the election for Attorney General of the State of Massachusetts on November 7, 2006 and was sworn in as the first woman to hold this position on January 17, 2007. In this role, she handed 8 July 2009 at the Federal District Court in Boston lawsuit against the Defense of Marriage Act, a by which the constitutionality of the marriage definition of this Federal Law will be provided by 1996 question - Massachusetts 2004 had approved the first state same-sex marriages.
In November 2010, Coakley was elected for a further term of office.
Failed choice for U.S. Senator in 2010
After the death of Edward Kennedy, who had represented in the Senate of the United States since 1962 Massachusetts, Martha Coakley announced her candidacy for Senator election and won on December 8, 2009, the code of the Democrats. In the election on 19 January 2010, she lost but then with 47 % of the vote against Republican candidate Scott Brown, who received 52% of votes cast. Coakley was alleged to have shown during the election campaign not enough commitment and ever criticized for " one of the worst statewide election campaigns ".
Candidacy for Governor in 2014
On September 15, 2013 Coakley announced to compete in the Democratic primary for the office of the governor of their state, the 2014 will take place over the succession of Deval Patrick. Your chances in a wide field of applicants will be considered after her failed 2010 Senate Campaign in good popularity values as open; in the first survey leads, however, significantly.