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Michael G. Bailey

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Michael G. Bailey
United States Attorney for the District of Arizona
In office
June 2019 – February 28, 2021
PresidentDonald Trump
Joe Biden
Preceded byJohn S. Leonardo Elizabeth A. Strange (Acting, Jan 2017 - June 2019)
Succeeded byGary M. Restaino
Personal details
EducationWestmont College
Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (JD)

Michael G. Bailey is an American attorney from Arizona. He formerly served as the United States Attorney for the District of Arizona.

Education

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Bailey graduated from Westmont College in 1987. He received his Juris Doctor from the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, formerly Arizona State University College of Law, in 1990. He was admitted to practice law in Arizona on October 26, 1991.[1]

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Bailey previously was a Maricopa County prosecutor, where he prosecuted homicides, violent crimes, and cases involving vulnerable populations.[2] In 2004, Bailey ran for Maricopa County Attorney in a crowded Republican primary.[3] Bailey later went into private law practice. In 2015, he joined the Arizona Attorney General's Office to serve as chief deputy and chief of staff.[4][5][6]

U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona

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In February 2017, Bailey was under consideration for appointment as U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona.[7] On February 12, 2019, his nomination was sent to the United States Senate.[8] Arizona Senator Martha McSally voiced her support of his nomination.[9]

On May 1, 2019, Bailey was sworn in as the interim United States Attorney for the District of Arizona.[10]

On May 2, 2019, his nomination was reported out of committee by voice vote.[11] On May 24, 2019, Bailey's nomination was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate.[12] He was sworn in sometime in June 2019.

While in office, Bailey supported and enforced the immigration policies of Donald Trump. The administration's policies included actions by federal agents to forcibly separate children from their parents under the guise of fighting illegal immigration, which a federal court found to be a "brutal" violation of the U.S. Constitution.[13] They also included the criminal prosecution of ordinary civilians who were not otherwise engaged in criminal activity such as drug smuggling.[14] Consistent with these policies, Bailey's office criminally charged an American human rights volunteer, Dr. Scott Warren, for maintaining food and water stations for undocumented migrants in the Arizona desert.[15] Approximately 3,000 migrants have died in Arizona's harsh climate from 2001 to 2017, due in part to deliberate federal policies that "funnel" migrants through this more treacherous terrain.[16] The prosecution ended in failure. A federal jury unanimously found Warren not guilty of "harboring" undocumented migrants. [17] Bailey said, "Although we're disappointed in the verdict, it won't deter us from continuing to prosecute all the entry and re-entry cases we have, as well as all the harboring and smuggling and trafficking cases that we have."[18] Warren, speaking after the verdict, said, "The government failed in its attempt to criminalize basic human kindness.” [19]

On February 8, 2021, he along with 55 other Trump-era U.S. Attorneys were asked to resign.[20] On February 16, 2021, Bailey announced his resignation effective February 28, 2021.[21]

Personal life

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Bailey is married to Arizona Court of Appeals Judge Cynthia Bailey.[22]

References

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  1. ^ "Michael Bailey". azbar.legalserviceslink.com. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  2. ^ "After 2-year vacancy, Trump nominates Arizona AG staffer for U.S. Attorney post". February 13, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  3. ^ "2004 Maricopa County Election Results" (PDF). Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  4. ^ "Top aide to Arizona AG appointed as US attorney for Arizona". Arizona Capitol Times. February 13, 2019. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  5. ^ "Attorney General Brnovich Announces Hiring of Next Chief Deputy and Chief of Staff Three Recent Senior Staff Promotions". March 21, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  6. ^ "Top aide to Arizona AG appointed as US attorney for Arizona". February 13, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  7. ^ "Two Being Considered For Arizona US Attorney Spot". Arizona Daily Independent. February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  8. ^ "Five Nominations and One Withdrawal Sent to the Senate", White House, February 12, 2019
  9. ^ "McSally Commends President's Nomination of Michael Bailey for U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona". www.mcsally.senate.gov. February 12, 2019. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  10. ^ "Michael Bailey sworn in as Interim US Attorney for the District of Arizona". Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  11. ^ Results of Executive Business Meeting – May 2, 2019, Senate Judiciary Committee
  12. ^ Egeland, Alexis (May 24, 2019). "Michael Bailey confirmed as U.S. attorney for Arizona". Arizona Republic. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  13. ^ Stahl, Jeremy (June 7, 2018). "District Court Judge Denounces Forced Child Separation as "Brutal" and Clear Constitutional Violation". Slate.
  14. ^ "Far more immigration cases are being prosecuted criminally under Trump administration".
  15. ^ https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-documentary/usa-v-scott-and-the-fight-to-prove-that-humanitarian-aid-is-not-a-crime>
  16. ^ "Border crossers, and the desert that claims them". USA Today.
  17. ^ Allyn, Bobby; Marizco, Michel (November 21, 2019). "Jury Acquits Aid Worker Accused of Helping Border-Crossing Migrants in Arizona". NPR.
  18. ^ "Not guilty:Jurors acquit border aid volunteer Scott Warren on harboring charges". November 22, 2019. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  19. ^ ""USA v Scott" and the Fight to Prove That Humanitarian Aid is Not a Crime". The New Yorker. July 8, 2020.
  20. ^ Balsamo, Michael (February 9, 2021). "Justice Dept. seeks resignations of Trump-era US attorneys". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  21. ^ "U.S. Attorney Michael Bailey Announces Resignation" (Press release). Phoenix, Arizona: United States Attorney's Office. February 16, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  22. ^ "Michael G. Bailey - State's Attorney for Arizona".
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