And a Little Child Shall Lead Them
- Steve Bradshaw
- Mar 8
- 6 min read
Respect From a Distance
Until recently I had never heard of Danielle Sassoon. Why would I? She is a 38-year-old lawyer from New York.
By borrowing from the bible passage Isiah 11:6 for the title of this piece I do not mean to suggest that because of her youth she is somehow a child. My point is precisely the opposite. The title is meant to underscore the point that she has recently demonstrated the kind of leadership and courage that seems to be sorely lacking in many folks who are 20, 30, or even 40 years her senior. Consequently, I have come to admire her from afar. She is not just any other young lawyer.
Nothing In Common
On January 21, 2025, Danielle Sassoon assumed the role of United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) appointed by President Donald J. Trump. To get a better sense of the significance of that position I would suggest checking out the Showtime TV Series Billions.
Before joining the SDNY office it could be said that Ms. Sassoon was already building the ideal conservative legal pedigree. She earned an undergraduate degree from Harvard University and a Law degree from Yale University. While in law school she was Features Editor of the Yale Law Journal.
After her formal education she served as a law clerk for Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III, or the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Additionally, she served as a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. She was also a litigation associate at a prominent New York City law firm and an adjunct professor at New York University Law School.
After arriving at SDNY in 2016 she played an integral role in some high-profile prosecutions including the fraud, conspiracy and money laundering trial of Sam Bankman-Fried. In 2023 she received the Women in Federal Law Enforcement Top Prosecutor Award. And in 2024 she was awarded the FBI Director’s Award for Outstanding Criminal Investigation.
Ms. Sassoon is a registered Republican and a member of the conservative Federalist Society. The same Federalist Society that has brought us Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Clarence Thomas.
Given her background and her ascension to such a prominent role at SDNY at such a young age, Ms. Sassoon was clearly a rising star in the conservative movement, possibly headed to an appointment to the United States Supreme Court herself one day.
Additionally, given that my political leanings tend to be center left, and that I reside in the State of Georgia rather than New York, it is highly unlikely that she and I would be running in the same circles.
A Bump in The Road
Indeed, Danielle Sassoon was well on her way to even higher heights. Then the powers that be threw her a curve ball. Shortly into her tenure as US Attorney she received guidance in the form of a memo from acting US Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove instructing her to have lead attorney Hagan Scotten dismiss the federal criminal corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, claiming that it would allow Adams to focus on immigration enforcement.
In response to that directive on February 12, 2025, Ms. Sassoon sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi stating her intent to resign if forced to drop the charges for explicitly political reasons indicating confidence that Mayor Adams was guilty of the charged crimes. I have read that letter, all 7+ pages. It struck me as thoughtful, well-reasoned and restrained. It also struck me as a professional response to what was being asked of her and demonstrated immense courage.
Just imagine being new in your job wanting to make a good impression on your new bosses and then being asked to do something that ran counter to established standards and your own morale compass. Given her youth and the trajectory that she was on I imagine that the powers that be just assumed that Ms. Sassoon would just go along to get along to maintain the favor of her superiors and protect her standing in the conservative movement. But that was not the case.
In Her Own Words
Since I am not an attorney, I am not in a position to evaluate the legal merits of the directive to seek dismissal of the case against Mayor Adams. Instead, I will simply defer to the content of Ms. Sassoon’s response.
To quote from her letter to Attorney General Bondi: “Mr. Bove’s memo, reasons having nothing to do with the strength of the case, raises concerns that render the contemplated dismissal inconsistent with my ability and duty to prosecute federal crimes without fear or favor and to advance good faith arguments before the courts.”
Further, “I have always considered it my obligation to pursue justice impartially, without favor to the wealthy or those who occupy important public office, or harsher treatment for the less powerful.” “I therefore deem it necessary to the faithful discharge of my duties to raise the concerns expressed in this letter with you and to request the opportunity to meet to discuss them further.”
Additionally, “If a criminal prosecution cannot be used to punish political activity, it likewise cannot be used to induce or coerce such activity.” “I remain baffled by the rushed and superficial process by which this decision was reached in seeming collaboration with Adams’ counsel and without my direct input on the ultimate states rationales for dismissal”
“In the event that you are unwilling to meet or reconsider the directive in light of the problems raised by Mr. Bove’s memo, I am prepared to offer my resignation.”
The following day her resignation was accepted. Or as President Trump was later quoted as saying “the US Attorney was fired.”
The Cost of Courage
As you might imagine, given the current composition of the Department of Justice, the powers that be, did prevail upon someone to execute the order to seek the dismissal. Whoever the individual was who acquiesced to that directive really does not matter. It is what the DOJ leadership wanted. The disposition of this case is currently in the hands of a federal judge.
Now I’ve lived long enough to know that over its history the application of justice in this country has been uneven at best and unjust at worst. But that is no reason to stop trying to achieve the objective of even-handed justice in all circumstances. We simply can’t give in to the notion that might makes right. Because if we have indeed arrived at that place then we achieved a sad sorry state of affairs. The fundamental question that we need to ask ourselves is “are we to governed by the rule of law, or by the rule of man”?
As for Former United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Danielle Renee Sassoon, I would imagine that this episode in her life and career has been unsettling at best and traumatic at worst. But, given her background I would surmise that she is a resilient young woman who will land on her feet.
Even so, I’m sure that she didn’t expect her tenure at SDNY to end that way and that suddenly. I admire the stand that she made. She demonstrated the leadership and courage of someone with more legal experience and more time on earth. She spoke her truth to power, and it cost her.
That is the thing about courage: while it is universally acknowledged to be a desirable leadership characteristic, the demonstration of courage in most situations is usually not cost free. And that is why so few people in leadership positions actually demonstrate it.
In Praise of Youth
Danielle Sassoon is not a child. Far from it. She is an accomplished attorney and a grown woman who did not capitulate despite the pressure to do so. I admire that. Hopefully there are others, be they older or younger, who will find inspiration and strength in her example.
I trust that her parents are proud of her. In fact, I am actually old enough to be Danielle’s father. And if I was her father, I would make sure that I conveyed to her how proud I am of her and how proud she should be of herself.
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