Michael J. Stern on Muck Rack

Michael J. Stern

Los Angeles
As seen in: USA Today, The New York Times, HuffPost, The Guardian, Yahoo Canada, Yahoo News, Yahoo Singapore, Los Angeles Times, New York Daily News, Chicago Tribune, Slate and
@USAToday opinion columnist. Also in: Chicago Tribune; Guardian; Boston Globe; HuffPost; Hill; NY Daily News, etc. Former federal prosecutor. 🌊 🏳️‍🌈 #LGBT

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Michael J. Stern’s Biography

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I was a state prosecutor outside of Detroit for three years and a federal prosecutor, in Detroit and Los Angeles, for 25 years. For two years I represented indigent defendants in federal court.

Michael J. Stern’s Journalist Portfolio

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Jeff Sessions makes me glad I left the Department of Justice

Jeff Sessions makes me glad I left the Department of Justice

During my 25 years as a federal prosecutor at the U.S. Department of Justice, I wore my work as a badge of pr…

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Mueller's case against Manafort should be a slam dunk. So why is the jury still out?

Mueller's case against Manafort should be a slam dunk. So why is the jury still out?

As the jury deliberates the fate of President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, on bank…

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Michael Cohen is a ticking time bomb

Michael Cohen is a ticking time bomb

Last week, in a federal court in New York, the levee between President Trump and Hurricane Mueller was breach…

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Trump's verdict on 'flipping' puts prosecutions at risk

Trump's verdict on 'flipping' puts prosecutions at risk

The frenzy of recent news included felony convictions for President Donald Trump Donald John Trump Trump to o…

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President's threat against DOJ attorney could have deep consequences for Justice

President's threat against DOJ attorney could have deep consequences for Justice

News leaked recently that Bruce Ohr, a respected attorney with the Department of Justice, testified to member…

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Opinion | Why Manafort Must Have Something 'Really Good'

Opinion | Why Manafort Must Have Something 'Really Good'

Re " Manafort Agrees to Help Mueller as Part of Deal " (front page, Sept. 15): To the uninitiated, Paul Manaf…

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Articles

I worked with ICE as a US attorney. Abolishing it won't bring justice. Original

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By Michael J. Stern
| USA Today Verified
Michael J. Stern Feb. 18, 2026, 5:05 a.m. ET During my 25 years as a federal prosecutor with the Justice Department, I worked with all the big federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. One of my best experiences was working with an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent.
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Another person I love has died. I've developed a horrible fear of death. | Opinion Original

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By Michael J. Stern
| USA Today Verified
I've not seen a therapist for a few years, but I recently made an appointment in the hope that I can navigate my way out of the emotional quicksand. I'm making other changes, too. Michael J. Stern Opinion contributor It’s happened again. Another person I love has died. When I joined the Department of Justice, as the decade rolled into 1990, I was the youngest federal prosecutor in the Detroit office of more than a hundred attorneys ... and I had a secret.
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I'm an atheist, but Israel-Hamas war has pulled me closer to my Jewish roots

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By Michael J. Stern
| Yahoo News Verified
My partner of 13 years was diagnosed with cancer recently. This week, a team of surgeons will remove half of his large intestine, and hopefully all the malignant tumor. On Thanksgiving, when we got the word that the cancer was operable and he had a good prospect for survival, I confided to a Jewish friend that I had been terrified the cancer had spread and that the man I love would spend his last months in agony.
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See all 204 licensed articles (228 Total)

Interview

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What was your first job as a journalist?

An especially brave editor at the Chicago Tribune published my first piece.

What's your favorite social network?

Favorite? None. But I use Facebook as much as I hate it.

Who do you wish followed you?

Editors at the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Barbra Streisand. :)
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