Bush Nominates Chertoff as Homeland Security Director

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resident Bush on Tuesday selected federal appeals court judge Michael Chertoff to be his new Homeland Security chief.

Chertoff headed the Justice Department's criminal division from 2001 to 2003, where he played a central role in the nation's legal response to the Sept. 11 attacks, before being named a federal appellate court judge with the 3rd U.S. Court of Appeals in Philadelphia. He is a 1978 graduate of Harvard Law School.

If confirmed by the Senate, Chertoff would replace Tom Ridge, the department's first chief. Bush originally picked former New York City police chief Bernard Kerik to head the department, but he withdrew his name from consideration last month, citing immigration problems with a family housekeeper.

In October 2001, Ridge became the nation's first White House homeland security adviser, leading a massive undertaking to rethink all aspects of security within the U.S. borders in the wake of the terror attacks of September 2001.

Congress subsequently passed legislation establishing the Homeland Security Department, merging 180,000 employees from 22 government agencies. Ridge became the department's first secretary in January 2003.

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