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Susan Cacace ’89 began her legal career as an Assistant District Attorney of Westchester County after graduating from what was then known as ������� Law School. In 2005, she began her nearly 20 years of service as a Westchester County Court Judge. A dedicated public servant, after spending 30 years as a prosecutor, defense attorney, and judge, she decided it was time to pursue a lifetime dream of serving Westchester County as the District Attorney. Now, after winning the election and taking office earlier this year, Westchester County DA Susan Cacace has an ambitious list of priorities to “bring Westchester to a better place.”

What was your path to law school?

I am one of those people who knew that they wanted to be a lawyer from a very young age. My father was a judge in Yonkers, and he was my motivation when I was a kid. I often went to court with him and enjoyed seeing arraignments and courtroom dynamics. Right away, I knew I was most interested in criminal law and also because of the values instilled by my father, I knew I wanted to go into a career of public service.

What made you choose what is now known as the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at ������� to pursue your law degree? 

My father was instrumental in that as well. At the time, ������� Law was a newer school. My father suggested that it did not make sense to waste time commuting to a school too far away since a majority of my time would be spent studying. We lived in nearby Yonkers, so I followed his suggestion and chose ������� Law. I had also attended ������� as an undergraduate student. My husband is a graduate of the Law School as well. And, in a full circle moment, my youngest daughter is graduating from college in May and just sent in her deposit to attend ������� Haub Law in the fall.

Who were some of your most impactful professors and experiences during your time at the Law School?

Professor Ralph Stein – he was a legend in his own time. Professor Don Doernberg was great. Professor Hervey Johnson, he was my contracts professor and was wonderful. Also, Professor Jay Carlisle had a great impact on me, and still does. The ������� London Law Program was a highlight of my time as a law student. It was the dream of a lifetime and a great experience.

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How do you feel the Law School prepared you for your legal journey?

I feel it prepared me well – I was able to take courses and have experiences that gave me the confidence I needed to succeed. As a young assistant district attorney, having that confidence is important because at some point you do end up in court and that is when the confidence and knowledge that you gained in law school gets put to work.

The Law School does a great job of preparing you to enter the legal market as an embedded member of the Westchester community. As a student, you have the opportunity to be exposed to various bar associations and networking opportunities during law school. Through these opportunities, you get to know so many different people within the legal community – lawyers, judges, and more. I was fortunate enough to be a Columbian Lawyers Association scholarship recipient and because of that I met some of the members of the Association. The first thing I did when I graduated law school was join that organization, many members whom I already knew between the opportunities at the Law School and also because of my scholarship.

The Law School does a great job of preparing you to enter the legal market as an embedded member of the Westchester community. As a student, you have the opportunity to be exposed to various bar associations and networking opportunities during law school.

You retired after nearly 20 years on the bench, what drove you to decide to pursue running for Westchester County DA?

I had been thinking about it for a long time, but the time was never quite right. This time, I just knew. I had been a judge for almost 20 years. Being Westchester County DA was always something I wanted to do. I was prepared for it, I had the experience, I had the drive, and the opportunity was there so I decided to go for it. Westchester is my home and I am committed to making it safer and bringing it to a better place.

What are some of your priorities as Westchester County DA?

Getting back to the basics, being tough on violent crime for one. My motto during my campaign was Justice with Compassion – justice for the violent criminals, compassion for first-time offenders. We need to hold people accountable who have been in the system, utilize alternatives to incarceration where possible, take guns off the streets, tackle the opioid crisis, be responsive to bias crimes, and focus on reducing sex offenses. I was the sex offense judge for Westchester County for over 14 years. Every sex offense that was committed in Westchester County ran through my part. It was very challenging, but you become an expert. We had a good relationship with the Department of Probation and the end result was Westchester was safer. Working together is key. You need to make sure everyone is given justice, while the public is protected.

Do you have any advice for law students who want to get into public interest law or run for elected office one day?

If politics is in your future, make sure you establish your reputation early on. Get involved in your local community organizations. Give back no matter what you are doing. For public interest, that is a lifestyle choice, and you have to decide how you feel about service. I enjoy giving back and I was always inclined towards public service because of how I was raised and how I saw my father establish his career as a judge. There are things you will sacrifice in a career devoted to public service, but the feeling of helping people and giving back is unmatched.