About this item
Obstruction of justice, the specter of impeachment, sexism at work, shocking revelations: Jill Wine-Banks takes us inside her trial by fire as a Watergate prosecutor. It was a time, much like today, when Americans feared for the future of their democracy, and women stood up for equal treatment. At the crossroads of the Watergate scandal and the women's movement was a young lawyer named Jill Wine Volner (as she was then known) , barely thirty years old and the only woman on the team that prosecuted the highest-ranking White House officials. Called "the mini-skirted lawyer" by the press, she fought to receive the respect accorded her male counterparts -- and prevailed.In The Watergate Girl, Jill Wine-Banks opens a window on this troubled time in American history. It is impossible to read about the crimes of Richard Nixon and the people around him without drawing parallels to today's headlines. The book is also the story of a young woman who sought to make her professional mark while trapped in a failing marriage, buffeted by sexist preconceptions, and harboring secrets of her own. Her house was burgled, her phones were tapped, and even her office garbage was rifled through.At once a cautionary tale and an inspiration for those who believe in the power of justice and the rule of law, The Watergate Girl is a revelation about our country, our politics, and who we are as a society.
About the Author
Jill Wine-Banks' book, The Watergate Girl: My Fight for Truth and Justice Against a Criminal President, has been optioned by Katie Holmes to become a movie. She is currently a legal analyst on MSNBC, a co-host of two Politicon podcasts, #SistersInLaw with 3 other MSNBC contributors (Joyce Vance, Kimberly Atkins Stohr and Barbara McQuade) talking about pressing legal issues each week and iGenPolitics with Victor Shi, a college student, bringing an intergenerational approach to political issues with interviews of leading politicians, activists and journalists.Jill began her acclaimed career as the first woman to serve as an organized crime prosecutor at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. Less than five years later, she was selected as one of the three Assistant Watergate Special Prosecutors in for the obstruction of justice trial against President Nixon's top aides. Known as the "mini-skirted lawyer," cross examined President Nixon's secretary about the 18 ½ minute gap in a key White House recording.Ms. Wine-Banks also served as first female General Counsel of the U.S. Army, Illinois' first Solicitor General and first female Deputy Attorney General, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the American Bar Association, and held executive positions at both corporate and non-profit companies, including work for Motorola in Ukraine and Russia, where she met with Putin. For more information about Jill's career, #JillsPins, television appearances, speeches and how to contact her, see https://www.jillwinebanks.com
