What to Know
- Preet Bharara was fired this month after he refused to resign; Trump had sought resignations from him and 45 others appointed in Obama era
- Bharara will begin his new job as distinguished scholar in residence at NYU's law school April 1
- Bharara is a graduate of Harvard College and Columbia Law School. A frequent visitor to NYU Law, he was the JD convocation speaker in 2015
Less than two weeks after Preet Bharara was fired by President Trump's administration following his refusal to resign his post as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, the high-profile federal prosecutor has a new gig.
Bharara will join New York University's School of Law April 1 as a distinguished scholar in residence, the school announced Tuesday.
"I am honored to join the NYU School of Law, one of the great educational institutions in America, and I welcome the chance to contribute in such a thoughtful setting," Bharara said in a statement. "I am thrilled for this opportunity to continue addressing the issues I so deeply care about—criminal and social justice, honest government, national security, civil rights, and corporate accountability, to name a few."
Bharara was one of more than 40 prosecutors appointed during the Obama era who Trump had asked to resign. Bharara refused, and announced March 11 that he had been fired. The 48-year-old prosecutor had served as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York since 2009.
Prior to serving as U.S. attorney, Bharara was chief counsel to Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer, including during the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s investigation into the selective firings of U.S. attorneys in 2007. He also spent a number of years in private practice before entering public service. Bharara is a graduate of Harvard College and Columbia Law School. He was the JD convocation speaker at NYU Law in 2015.
Joon Kim, 45, who had previously served as Bharara's chief counsel, criminal division head and top deputy, will be acting U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York until Trump nominates a candidate for the job who can be confirmed by the Senate. That process could take months.
