By Stephanie Steinberg, Daily News Editor
Published January 5, 2010
After interviewing Michigan sports legends like Bo Schembechler, Bill Frieder and Red Berenson, questioning felons involved in terrorism hoaxes, espionage and bank robberies has been a piece of cake for Barbara McQuade.
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At a federal courthouse Monday afternoon, McQuade, 45, was the first female sworn in to head the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Detroit. As a U.S. attorney, McQuade will represent the U.S. federal government in civil and criminal cases in the Eastern District of Michigan, which includes Ann Arbor, Flint and Port Huron.
In November, President Barack Obama nominated McQuade, a Democrat, for the position. The Senate confirmed her nomination on Dec. 24.
McQuade will replace U.S. Attorney Terrance Berg and serve a four-year term.
In an interview with The Michigan Daily Monday, McQuade said her days as a University of Michigan student and Daily sports editor played a major role in getting her to where she is today.
McQuade received bachelor’s degrees in communications and economics from the University in 1987 and graduated from the University’s Law School in 1991.
During her time as an undergraduate, McQuade worked for the Daily sports section, covering football, basketball, hockey, volleyball and softball. She also wrote a column called Barb’s Barbs, where she shared her musings on the 1985-86 basketball season and the 1986 Michigan football team.
McQuade ultimately became the managing sports editor in 1986. She was the second woman to hold the position.
McQuade said she loved the respect she received from coaches Schembechler, Berenson and Frieder, who she said always patiently answered her questions and knew her name.
“Although I liked to think they remembered my name because of my work, I think it is more likely that they remembered my name because there were so few female reporters then,” McQuade said.
Continuing to set new precedents, McQuade said she is ready to be the first female to lead the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Detroit. She cited women like Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy and Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm, a former Michigan attorney general, who McQuade said are two women who have “served with great distinction” and paved the way for her career.
“I have really ridden their coattails to some extent, and I think that it’s no longer a novelty (to be a female with a high position),” McQuade said. “People have an expectation that women can serve as effective prosecutors.”
McQuade said one of her goals in her new position is to prevent violent crimes in Michigan by having her office take on an increased role in enforcement.
With the state’s budget in crisis, McQuade said county prosecutors are working with limited resources and are having trouble “keeping up with the workload.” To help alleviate the pressure, McQuade wants her office to step in and address issues like the high rates of carjacking, armed robbery and firearm cases.
“I think that violent crime is what really affects people’s lives and the quality of life in our state,” she said. “If we can make a dent in violent crime, we can really improve people’s lives.”
Since 1998, she has served as deputy chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office National Security Unit, where she has advised law enforcement on security issues concerning major events in the Metro Detroit area.
McQuade worked at sporting events like the 2004 Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills, the 2005 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Comerica Park, Super Bowl XL in 2006 and the 2009 NCAA Final Four at Ford Field.
McQuade’s interest in government can be traced back to her days as a Daily reporter, she said. During that time, her favorite book was “All the President’s Men” — a story about two journalists who investigated President Richard Nixon’s Watergate scandal.
“What reporters and prosecutors do is very similar — looking for wrongdoing and looking for misconduct and trying to expose that,” she said.
