“I had concluded when I was the prosecutor that I would vote against the death penalty if I were in the legislature but that I could ask for it when I was satisfied as to guilt.”

American lawyer and public official

Janet Reno was an American lawyer and public official who served as the 78th United States attorney general from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the first woman to hold the office and the second-longest serving attorney general, after William Wirt. She is known for her years at the head of the Justice Department and for breaking a historic barrier in federal office. Her public life was defined by law, government service, and a long tenure in one of the country’s most visible legal posts.