James E. Tierney

James E. Tierney born in Brooklyn, New York on April 12, 1947. Tierney was elected as a democratic state representative at the age of 25. [cite web
last =Anderson
first =Jenny
title =The Maine Man
publisher =Institutional Investor
date =2002
url =http://www.iimagazine.com/Article.aspx?articleID=1027367
accessdate =2008-05-20 ] After eight years in the Maine Legislature, where at the age of 29 he was elected Majority Leader [cite web
title =Past Leaders of the Maine House of Representatives
publisher =Maine House of Representatives
date =2007
url =http://janus.state.me.us/house/history/leaders.htm
accessdate =2007-03-21 ] , Tierney became the Attorney General of Maine. He served in that capacity for ten years during which time he was active on a wide variety of state and national issues. After leaving office in 1990, hebegan a career as a consultant to attorneys general. Long characterized by current attorneys general and the media as "America's 51st AttorneyGeneral." [cite web
last =Schwartz
first =John
title =Fighting Smoke With Fire in the Legal Fight Against Tobacco
publisher =Washington Post
date =1998-11-17
url =http://www.law.columbia.edu/null?&exclusive=filemgr.download&file_id=13494&rtcontentdisposition=filename%3D
accessdate =2007-03-21 ]

At the time of writing he is Director of the National State Attorneys General Program [http://www.law.columbia.edu/center_program/ag] at Columbia Law School where since 2000 he has also been a Lecturer in Law. Tierney teaches a course in multistate litigation and has written extensively on a wide range of topics, such as the often volatile relationship between state AGs and their governors. [cite web
last =Anderson
first =Jenny
title =The Maine Man
publisher =Institutional Investor
date =2002
url =http://www.iimagazine.com/Article.aspx?articleID=1027367
accessdate =2008-05-20 ] . In 2006, Columbia students recognized him as the Public Interest Law Professor of the Year. [cite web
title =Jim Tierney Awarded The Public Interest Professor of the Year Award
publisher =Columbia Law School
date =2006
url =http://www.law.columbia.edu/center_program/ag/AGs_About/success
accessdate =2007-03-21 ] Tierney is quoted widely on the operations of the office of state attorney general. He is a frequent speaker at meetings of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG). Video of some of those remarks are located at the National State Attorneys General Program website [http://www.stateag.org] . Tierney has been a regular commentator on Court TV (TruTV) since its founding in 1991. In that capacity he has commented on a wide range of trials from the celebrated cases of the early 1990's to the recent military tribunals in Guantanamo Bay.

Tierney may be best known as one of the key strategists in the state cases against the tobacco industry in reclaiming Medicaid payments paid out for tobacco-related disease. [cite web
last =Helm
first =Hunt
title =Strategist of Smoking Assault Calls Shots from Maine Farm
publisher =Louisville Courier-Journal
date =1997-06-11
url =http://www.law.columbia.edu/null?&exclusive=filemgr.download&file_id=12549&rtcontentdisposition=filename%3D.pdf
accessdate =2007-03-21 ,]

Tierney also has advised officials in Eastern Europe's emerging democracies, has supervised national elections in Bulgaria, Cameroon, Croatia and Albania, and was special counsel in the investigation of alleged corruption within the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

Tierney is a graduate of the University of Maine School of Law.

References