President Bill Clinton formally nominated Janet Reno to serve as U.S. Attorney General.
On February 11, 1993, President Bill Clinton formally nominated Janet Reno to be Attorney General of the United States, following the withdrawal of two previous nominees, Zoë Baird and Kimba Wood, amid controversies over their employment of undocumented household workers.
Reno's nomination was notable both for the process that led to it and for what it represented: the first serious nomination of a woman to lead the U.S. Department of Justice. Her long record as a tough, independent prosecutor in Dade County, Florida, made her an attractive candidate untainted by the scandals that had derailed her predecessors' nominations.
The nomination was widely praised across the political spectrum for her reputation as a pragmatic, no-nonsense law enforcement official who had built bipartisan support during her career in Florida. Her selection also reflected the Clinton administration's stated commitment to increasing diversity in senior government positions.
This nomination set the stage for her subsequent confirmation and swearing-in, marking a historic moment that would break a 204-year-old barrier in the history of the Justice Department, which had never before been led by a woman since its establishment in 1789.