Who is Jeanine Pirro? Flash Uganda Media looks at her biography, age, husband, family, tribe, achievements, and relationship with Nasser Ferris, Esther Awad Ferris, Albert J. Pirro, Jr., Alexander Pirro, Cristine Pirro and the early life and education of the former New York State judge, prosecutor, and politician.
Jeanine Ferris Pirro is a former New York State judge, prosecutor, and politician, as well as a television host and author.
Pirro hosted the Fox News show Justice with Judge Jeanine, which debuted in January 2011. The programme aired on weekends and focused on the week’s major legal stories.
This lasted until 2022 when Justice ended and she joined “The Five” as a co-host.
Pirro ran for the Republican nomination for United States Senate in 2006, but dropped out to accept the nomination for New York Attorney General; she was however defeated in the general election by Democrat Andrew Cuomo.
Net Worth
CelebrityNetworth estimates Jeanine Pirro’s net worth to be $14 million in 2023.
Given her popularity among Fox News viewers, Pirro has agreed to a $30 million contract with a $6 million annual salary.
Jeanine Pirro has continued to invest in real estate over the last two decades and she now owns 25 properties worth more than $16 million.
In addition, Judge Pirro has $29 million in stock market investments. She has also invested an additional $3 million in government bonds, from which she receives consistent annual income.
Early Life and Education
Jeanine Ferris was born and raised in Elmira, New York, United States of America on June 2, 1951.
She is the child of Lebanese and American parents. Her father, Nasser Ferris, was a mobile home salesman, and her mother, Esther Awad Ferris, was a department store model who grew up in Beirut.
Her parents were Catholic Maronites. Pirro had a dream of becoming an attorney since she was six years old.
She graduated from Notre Dame High School in Elmira in three years and interned at the Chemung County District Attorney’s office.
Jeanine Pirro went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Buffalo.
She received her J.D. from Union University’s Albany Law School in 1975, where she was a law review editor.
Family and Marriage Life
Jeanine Pirro married Albert J. Pirro, Jr. on August 23, 1975, and they had two children: Alexander Pirro, a son, and Cristine Pirro, a daughter.
After their marriage, they relocated to Harrison, New York, where Pirro began working as an assistant district attorney and her husband began working as a lobbyist.
Albert was accused of fathering a daughter by an extortionate and mentally unstable Florida woman later in their marriage, but before their children were born.
After his denials and lengthy court proceedings, DNA testing confirmed his paternity, and he was ordered to pay child support in 1998.
Pirro’s husband was indicted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York on one count of conspiracy, four counts of tax evasion, and 28 counts of filing a false tax return on February 23, 1999, for concealing over $1 million in personal income as business expenses between 1988 and 1997.
Pirro and her husband spoke at a press conference in response to the charges, calling the investigation “invasive and hostile.”
The trial began on May 15, 2000, and the closing arguments were given on June 19, 2000. On June 23, 2000, the jury found Pirro’s husband guilty on 23 of the charges brought against him and not guilty on 10.
He was sentenced to 29 months in federal prison in November 2000 but received some leniency in exchange for waiving his right to appeal.
He was released early for good behaviour and participation in an alcoholism treatment programme after serving 17 months in prison.
Pirro and her husband separated in 2007 as a result of their “tumultuous” relationship, and their divorce was finalised in 2013.
Career and Professional Work Experience
Jeanine Pirro’s legal career began in Westchester County, New York, as an assistant district attorney.
In 1975, District Attorney Carl Vergari appointed Pirro as an Assistant District Attorney in Westchester County, New York, where she began her career writing appeals and handling minor cases.
She rose to prominence as a prosecutor, particularly in cases involving domestic violence and child abuse.
Pirro was appointed as the first chief of the new Domestic Violence and Child Abuse Bureau by Vergari in 1978.
Pirro and Vergari’s relationship soured in the late 1980s when Pirro claimed sole responsibility for the establishment of the Domestic Violence and Child Abuse Bureau.
After being elected to the Westchester County Court in November 1990, Pirro left the District Attorney’s office.
Pirro was elected Westchester County District Attorney in November 1993, making her the county’s first female prosecutor.
She was elected again in 1997 and 2001. On May 23, 2005, Pirro announced that she would not run for re-election to a fourth term as Westchester County District Attorney.
While serving as district attorney, she was appointed to chair the New York State Commission on Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board by then-Governor George Pataki.
Political career
1986 Lieutenant Gubernatorial candidacy
Jeanine Pirro, then an assistant district attorney, was announced as Westchester County Executive and presumptive Republican gubernatorial nominee Andrew O’Rourke’s running mate on May 26, 1986.
After nearly a dozen people declined the position, O’Rourke and New York State Republican Committee Chairman Anthony J. Colavita chose Pirro.
Many New York Republicans, including Assembly Minority Leader Clarence D. Rappleyea Jr., were outraged by Pirro’s selection.
Pirro announced her withdrawal from the race on May 28, just one day before the scheduled vote for the lieutenant gubernatorial nomination at the state party convention in Syracuse, citing her husband’s legal clients and the couple’s business interests.
Six hours after her announcement, Pirro was replaced by Michael Kavanagh, the District Attorney of Ulster County.
2006 U.S. Senate campaign
On August 10, 2005, Pirro announced her intention to run for the Republican nomination to challenge first-term Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton in the 2006 election for U.S. Senator from New York.
Cox dropped out of the race after Republican governor George Pataki endorsed Pirro, making Pirro the likely nominee.
Donors to Pirro’s political campaign included Elmira native Tommy Hilfiger and Donald Trump, as well as contractors and real estate executives who had worked with her husband.
After continuing pressure from party leaders, Pirro dropped out of the Senate race on December 21, 2005.
Spencer was eventually chosen as the Republican Party’s Senate nominee.
2006 State Attorney General Campaign
Pirro was unopposed for the nomination and was declared the Republican Party’s official candidate for Attorney General of New York by acclamation at the state GOP convention on May 31, 2006.
She was also nominated by the New York Conservative and Independence Parties.
Pirro, however, was defeated in the general election by the Democratic nominee, former Clinton Housing and Urban Development Secretary and future Governor Andrew Cuomo, 58%-39%.
Other Ventures
Jeanine Pirro is the best-selling author of eight books in the New York Times.
To Punish and Protect: A DA’s Fight Against a System That Coddles Criminals, her first book, was published in 2003. To Punish and Protect: Against a System That Coddles Criminals, her second book was published in 2004.
Sly Fox: A Dani Fox Novel, Pirro’s first fiction book, was released in 2012 as a crime and legal thriller, and Clever Fox: A Dani Fox Novel, the second novel in the series, was released in 2014.
Liars, Leakers, and Liberals: The Case Against the Anti-Trump Conspiracy (2018) is her book that takes a look inside Donald Trump’s presidency as well as the politics surrounding the anti-Trump movement.
The book Radicals, Resistance, and Revenge: The Left’s Plot to Remake America was released in 2019.
On September 23, 2020, she released Don’t Lie to Me: and Stop Trying to Steal Our Freedom. “Crimes Against America: The Left’s Takedown of Our Republic” is her most recent book.
Pirro returned to the private sector after her tenure as D.A. and judge and began a new career as a TV personality and commentator.
Pirro is a regular guest on the syndicated morning talk show The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet.
She has appeared on Today, Fox NY Good Day New York, and other shows as a guest analyst. She is a Fox News legal analyst who has appeared on Larry King Live, The Joy Behar Show, and Geraldo at Large.
She also appeared frequently on Greg Gutfeld’s late-night satire show Red Eye.
Pirro was the host of the American reality court show; You the Jury, which was cancelled after two episodes.
On May 5, 2008, the CW Television Network announced that Pirro would host a weekday television show called Judge Jeanine Pirro airing two episodes per day.
Warner Bros. Domestic Television distributed the show, which was broadcast by default on all CW affiliate stations.
Judge Jeanine Pirro was approved for a second season, which began in the autumn of 2009.
At the 37th Daytime Emmy Awards in 2010, the show was nominated for Outstanding Legal/Courtroom Programme, and it won the award at the 38th Daytime Emmy Awards in 2011.
However, due to low ratings, the show was cancelled in September 2011.
Achievements and Awards
Pirro made history as the first female judge elected to the Westchester County Court bench in 1990, and she was named the #1 Judge by the Independent Fund for Modern Courts.
She made history yet again in 1993 when she was elected as Westchester County’s first female District Attorney and was the New York State District Attorneys Association’s first female president.
She won a daytime Emmy for her daily syndicated court show “Judge Pirro” on Warner Bros.
Pirro was appointed to the board of directors of HeavenlyRx, a cannabis company that manufactures CBD products, in July 2019.
Controversies
Smartmatic named Jeanine Pirro as a defendant in a February 2021 defamation lawsuit in relation to false claims of election fraud in the 2020 United States presidential election. However, these claims were dismissed by a judge in March 2022.
While she was praised for her work in prosecuting domestic violence, Pirro was chastised for failing to bring charges involving major public corruption or organised crime.
Pirro was charged with speeding in upstate New York in November 2017 after driving 119 miles per hour.
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