David Freed (attorney)
David J. Freed is an American lawyer who currently serves as the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Prior to assuming his current role, he was the District Attorney of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. Freed was the Republican nominee for Attorney General of Pennsylvania in the 2012 election.[1] From 2013-14, Freed served as president of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association. In September 2017, he was nominated by President Donald Trump to become the next United States Attorney for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, a position to which he was confirmed on November 15, 2017.[2][3]
David Freed | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania | |
| Assumed office November 27, 2017 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Peter J. Smith |
| District Attorney of Cumberland County | |
| In office January 2, 2006 – November 27, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Skip Ebert |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Amy |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Camp Hill, Pennsylvania |
| Alma mater | Washington and Lee University, (B.A.) Dickinson School of Law, (J.D.) |
Early life and education
Freed grew up in Camp Hill, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Camp Hill High School in 1988. He earned his Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. He earned a Juris Doctor from Dickinson School of Law of Penn State University.[1]
Public service career
Early career
After graduating from law school, Freed worked in a private practice focusing on insurance defense litigation. In 1997, he became Deputy Prosecutor of York County. In 1998, he became an Assistant District Attorney of Cumberland County. In 2001, he was promoted to First Assistant D.A.
District Attorney
In 2006, he was appointed District Attorney after incumbent M.L. Skip Ebert Jr. was elected judge within the Cumberland County Court of Common Pleas. Freed was elected in 2007 and re-elected in 2011 without any opposition. He was the youngest District Attorney of a fourth-class county in Pennsylvania.
Freed is frequently called upon to give testimony before the Pennsylvania Senate and Pennsylvania House of Representatives, including on closing loopholes in Megan's Law. In addition, he has testified before a joint meeting of the United States House of Representatives Judiciary and Education and Labor Committees regarding juvenile justice.
On the civil side, he primarily represented defendants on behalf of local and national insurance companies. On the criminal side, his office oversees a caseload of nearly 4,000 cases per year. He prosecuted a 14-year-old cold case homicide that was solved by DNA evidence and a similar 18-year-old unsolved homicide. Cumberland County continues to be the only District Attorney's office outside of a major city in the state to conduct in-house scientific testing of both blood and suspected illegal drugs.[4]
Other activities
He was Secretary-Treasurer of the Executive Committee of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association, member of the Republican State Committee, former Chairman of the Cumberland County Governors Club, Honorary Board Member of the Boy Scouts of America, member of the Fight Crime Invest in Kids, former member of the Camp Hill Lions Club, former President of the Lion Foundation, and former President of the Nonprofit School and Community Foundation.[5]
2012 election for PA Attorney General
Freed sought and won the Republican nomination for State Attorney General unopposed, after State Senator John Rafferty withdrew from the race.[6] He lost to Democrat Kathleen Kane, a former Assistant D.A. of Lackawanna County, in the fall general election.
U.S. Attorney
On November 15, 2017, Freed was confirmed by the United States Senate via a voice vote as the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, a nomination that was supported by both of Pennsylvania's U.S. Senators, Democrat Bob Casey Jr. and Republican Pat Toomey.[7] He was sworn in on November 27, 2017.
Personal life
Freed lives in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, with his wife and three children.[8]
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Kathleen Kane | 3,073,007 | 56.1 | |
| Republican | David Freed | 2,280,989 | 41.6 | |
| Libertarian | Marakay Rogers | 126,534 | 2.3 | |
| Total votes | 5,480,530 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||
References
- "David Freed for Attorney General: Biography". Official Campaign Biography. David Freed for Attorney General. Archived from the original on June 27, 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
- Murphy, Jan (September 8, 2017). "Cumberland County DA David Freed nominated for U.S. Attorney post". Penn Live. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
- "Cumberland County District Attorney David Freed confirmed as U.S. attorney". Carlisle Sentinel. November 16, 2017. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-06-27. Retrieved 2012-07-03.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/136198/david-freed
- Micek, John L. (January 12, 2012). "Rafferty ends bid to become state attorney general". The Allentown Morning Call. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
- Schweigert, Keith (November 16, 2017). "Senators Pat Toomey and Bob Casey laud U.S. Senate's confirmation of David Freed to U.S. attorney". FOX 43. WPMT. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
- "Key Staff Members". Official Staff Biographies. Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
External links
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Skip Ebert |
District Attorney of Cumberland County 2006–2017 |
Succeeded by vacant |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Tom Corbett |
Republican nominee for Attorney General of Pennsylvania 2012 |
Succeeded by John Rafferty Jr. |