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June / July 2008
 VOLUME
6•NUMBER 3 |
Fighting Crime a Case at a Time
June / July 2008
By Katy Doyle
ÒItÕs great to stand up in court and say, ÔI represent the United States of America,ÕÓ says Janet Hudson, a U.S. Assistant Attorney for the Central District of California and a Santa Clarita resident. ÒMy work is especially satisfying because weÕre always trying to do the right thing.Ó
Doing the right thing seems to be a recurring theme in HudsonÕs life. She took a leave of absence from Yale University to volunteer on a kibbutz in Israel. Living near the Gaza Strip, her work was mainly agricultural: she picked pears, fire-chained chickens into trucks (which involved working in the chicken house in the middle of the night, handing six chickens at a time to the next person in line), and tended hothouse roses. ÒIt was a fascinating experience,Ó she recalls. ÒI was impressed with the Israeli people.Ó ?After college she lived in Israel for a year, starting law school at Hebrew University in Jerusalem before returning stateside and attending Stanford Law.? Janet returns to Israel as often as possible to visit friends she made while living there.? She is committed to visiting regardless of the political situation; her last visit was in August 2006, during the war with Lebanon.?
Working for private firms during her summer breaks, Hudson determined that a government position would be more to her liking. ÒWith the government, you get more responsibility and your own cases right away,Ó she says. ÒYou get to do what you think is right. As a prosecutor, you decide what charges are appropriate, and you may even decide to decline prosecution.Ó
HudsonÕs casework, encompassing the realms of organized crime, narcotics, healthcare fraud and, currently, counter-terrorism, makes communities safer. When her office convicts gang members, citizens often write thank you letters because they can go outside without fear. ÒOperation Casablanca,Ó in which she was in charge of seizing $60 million in money laundered by Mexican bankers, earned her a John Marshall Award for Outstanding Legal Achievement. (The John Marshall Award is the Department of JusticeÕs highest award presented to attorneys for contributions and excellence in legal performance).
An Òenormously successfulÓ case against Los Angeles-based PCP manufacturers resulted in the indictment, arrest and conviction of a major nationwide supply ring.? Though she acknowledges that ÒL.A. is a target-rich environment,Ó HudsonÕs Òdoing the right thingÓ makes a difference one case at a time.
Over a year ago, Hudson joined the Soroptimist International of Santa Clarita Valley club, an organization whose mission is to improve the lives of women on an international and local scale. She says, ÒA single mom may need $600 for a car repair so she can drop her kids at daycare and go to work. Soroptimists can help at such a critical juncture.? When volunteering for a non-profit organization you donÕt always know who benefits and so often we do.Ó
As mom to Zachary, 16, and Rachel, 14, Hudson understands the importance of raising a family in a caring community known for its good quality of life. She says, Ò[Valencia] reminds me of the Midwest. Safe and suburban. When you have kids, you consciously or unconsciously try to replicate where you grew up.Ó
Hudson takes her important roles as mother, attorney and representative of the United States in stride. ÒSometimes itÕs hard,Ó she says. ÒBut itÕs all worth it.Ó
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