President George W. Bush announced today that he has picked federal appeals court judge Michael Chertoff as his nominee to replace Tom Ridge as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

As head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division (2001-2003), Chertoff, 51, played a key role in stepped-up federal legal efforts to fight terrorism, working closely with the FBI and other agencies to come up with a coordinated response to the September 11, 2001 attacks.

"I am confident that he will be a strong and effective leader for the Department of Homeland Security," Bush said at the White House. "His energy and intellect put him at the center of many homeland security improvements."

The selection of Chertoff came just one month after Bush's first choice, former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, was forced to withdraw his name amidst controversy.

Because Chertoff has twice before won Senate confirmation, observers said his selection was likely a "safe" choice in the wake of the Kerik imbroglio.

"He's a very disciplined man, a very tough man," Time magazine national security reporter Elaine Shannon told CNN this morning. "It is important that someone be confirmed (by the Senate) quickly and Chertoff certainly can be confirmed quickly."

Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., praised Chertoff, saying he had "the resume to be an excellent Homeland Security secretary, given his law enforcement background and understanding of New York's and America's neglected homeland security needs."

The Harvard-educated Chertoff has won praise for his role against organized crime as a U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey (1990-1994), and also worked as special counsel for the Senate Whitewater Committee during the Clinton Administration.

Following his two years at the Criminal Division, Chertoff was selected to sit on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit by Bush in 2003.

Despite his deep involvement in the Administration's homeland security strategies, Chertoff has, on occasion, questioned some of the anti-terror policies adopted, such as the detaining of Al Qaeda and Taliban suspects in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Early in his career, Chertoff worked as a law clerk for the late Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan.

Martin Edwin Andersen can be reached at Mick_Andersen@portsecuritynews.com.

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