D. Michael Fisher

D. Michael Fisher
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 40th district
In office January 7, 1975 – November 19, 1980
Preceded by	Jay R. Wells, III
Succeeded by	Frank J. Marmion, Jr.
Member of the Pennsylvania Senate from the 37th district
In office January 6, 1981 – November 27, 1996
Preceded by	Michael P. Schaefer
Succeeded by	Timothy F. Murphy
Attorney General of Pennsylvania
In office 1997 – 2004
Preceded by	Tom Corbett
Succeeded by	Jerry Pappert
Born	1944 Pittsburgh
Political party	Republican
Alma mater	Georgetown University Law Center

D. Michael Fisher (born 1944 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is a Federal Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He was nominated on May 1, 2003 by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate unanimously on December 9, 2003.

Prior to becoming a judge, he was elected Attorney General of Pennsylvania in 1996 and re-elected in 2000. Fisher personally argued major cases in state and federal appellate courts. In March 1998, he successfully argued before the United States Supreme Court a precedent-setting case ensuring that paroled criminals meet the conditions of their release.

Before his election as Attorney General, Fisher served for 22 years in the Pennsylvania General Assembly, serving six years in the State House and 16 years as a member of the State Senate. He was a member of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, the Chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee and the Majority Whip of the Senate. During his legislative career, he was a leader in criminal and civil justice reform and an architect of many major environmental laws. He ran unsuccessfully for Pennsylvania's lieutenant governorship in 1986 serving as the running mate of William Scranton, III.

He began his legal career in his hometown of Pittsburgh following his graduation from Georgetown University in 1966 and Georgetown University Law Center in 1969. As an Assistant District Attorney for Allegheny County, he handled nearly 1,000 cases, including 25 homicides. He continued to practice law during his career in the General Assembly and was a shareholder or partner in various firms, including Houston Harbaugh, where he practiced from 1984 to 1997. Fisher’s law practice included civil litigation, commercial law, estate planning and real estate.

In 2002, Fisher ran for Governor of Pennsylvania. Early in the campaign, the Republican State Committee gravitated to him as the nominee, much to the chagrin of Pennsylvania State Treasurer Barbara Hafer, who had explored a run. After Fisher won the nomination unopposed, Hafer endorsed the Democrat, Ed Rendell.

During the campaign, he raised issues such as Pennsylvania’s growing medical malpractice insurance crisis, the need to improve public education and the necessity of property tax reform. Fisher's candidacy was unable to gain traction, and he was down in the polls by double digits throughout the fall. In the end, Fisher could not catch Rendell and lost 53.4%-44.4%. Fisher was appointed to the bench to serve with Marjorie Rendell, Governor Rendell's wife.

Fisher and his wife, Carol, an education consultant, have two children: Michelle is an attorney in a prestigious Pennsylvania law firm, and Brett is an avid golfer and computer consultant.

External links

• D. Michael Fisher at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.