Éric Dupond-Moretti

Éric Dupond-Moretti (born 20 April 1961) is a French-Italian criminal defence lawyer and politician serving as Minister of Justice since 2020. As a lawyer he is renowned for his record number of acquittals, some of the controversial figures he defended, as well as his outspoken personality.[1]

Éric Dupond-Moretti
Minister of Justice
Assumed office
6 July 2020
Prime MinisterJean Castex
Preceded byNicole Belloubet
Personal details
Born (1961-04-20) 20 April 1961
Maubeuge, France
NationalityFrench, Italian
Spouse(s)Hélène Dupond-Moretti (divorced)
Children2
ResidenceFrance
OccupationCriminal defence lawyer
Signature

On 6 July 2020, Dupond-Moretti became Minister of Justice and Keeper of the Seals in the government of Prime Minister Jean Castex.[2]

Early life

Dupond-Moretti is the only son of Jean-Pierre Dupond, a metal worker from Avesnois and Elena Moretti, a housekeeper from Italy. His paternal grandparents, Achille and Louise, were also workers. Fatherless at the age of four, his mother raised him alone.[3] Like many famous fatherless criminal lawyers in France, most notably Robert Badinter, his childhood gave him a sense of injustice.[4]

Dupond-Moretti attended secondary school at the Catholic Lycée Notre-Dame in Valenciennes where he obtained his baccalauréat.[5]

Early career

After taking his oath as a lawyer on 11 December 1984 in Douai, Dupond-Moretti enrolled at the bar of Lille.[6] Working for a Lille law firm,[6] he began his career in the Labour Courts and then as a court appointed lawyer under the mentorship of Lille lawyer Jean Descamps et Toulouse lawyer Alain Furbury.[7]

For his results (more than 145 acquittals in 2019), Dupond-Moretti is nicknamed "Acquittator" (acquittor + matador) in the courtrooms.[8] Notable clients have included aid group Zoé's Ark, Jérôme Kerviel[9] and Julian Assange,[10] but also Patrick Balkany, Karim Benzema, Georges Tron and the brother of terrorist Mohammed Merah.[11] In 2013, Dupond-Moretti refused the Legion of Honour.

Yes, I am a free man. I am proud of being a lawyer, of refusing the Legion of Honour and the Freemasonry, of saying whatever I want to say ”

— Éric Dupond-Moretti[12]

Cinema

Dupond-Moretti played himself in the Claire Denis film Bastards. He also played a judge in the Claude Lelouch film Everyone's Life.

Political career

Dupond-Moretti chaired the support committee for Martine Aubry in the 2008 municipal elections in Lille.[13] He also signed a letter in her favour in Libération before the 2011 Socialist Party presidential primary.[14]

On 6 July 2020, Dupond-Moretti was named Minister of Justice (Garde des Sceaux, Ministre de la Justice) by President Emmanuel Macron in the government of Prime Minister Jean Castex.

In 2021, Macron directed Dupont-Moretti and Secretary of State for Child Protection Adrien Taquet to develop proposals for tightening laws regarding child sexual abuse after a high-profile scandal involving Olivier Duhamel.[15]

Political positions

In May 2015, Dupond-Moretti declared his support for the ban of the National Front.[16]

In August 2020, Dupond-Moretti signed a preface to a book written by head of the national federation of hunters Willy Schraen, in which he mocked “environment ayatollahs.” His comments, written before his appointment as minister, caused an uproar, forcing him to backtrack.[17]

Personal life

In 1991, Dupond-Moretti married Hélène, a juror he met during a trial, and they had two children. Now divorced, he has been in a relationship with singer Isabelle Boulay since April 2016.[18]

A passionate hunter, Dupond-Moretti owns a Flemish farmhouse with retrievers and trained birds for falconry.

Publications
  • with Stéphane Durand-Souffland, Bête noire, Éditions Michel Lafon, 2012
  • with Loïc Sécher, Le Calvaire et le Pardon, Michel Lafon, 2013
  • with Stéphane Durand-Souffland, Directs du droit , Michel Lafon, 2017

References
  1. "Maître Dupont Moretti : avocat français de renom". Web-Libre (in French). 2010-01-10.
  2. "Gouvernement Castex en direct : Darmanin nommé ministre de l'intérieur, Dupond-Moretti garde des sceaux et Bachelot à la culture". Le Monde.fr (in French). 2020-07-06.
  3. "VIDEO. 13h15. Justice : comment est née la vocation de l'avocat Eric Dupond-Moretti". Franceinfo (in French). 2015-12-12. Retrieved 2017-03-10.
  4. Trapier, Patrice. "Eric Dupond-Moretti, en rage et noir - leJDD.fr". LeJDD.fr (in French). Retrieved 2017-03-10.
  5. Esther Leneman, "Les petites voix" on Éric Dupond-Moretti, broadcast on Europe 1, 2 August 2014, 2 min 35 s
  6. "Direct du droit". Libération.fr (in French). Retrieved 2017-03-10.
  7. Bonnefous, Bastien (2012-04-27). "L'avocat Eric Dupond-Moretti : cour toujours". Le Monde.fr (in French). ISSN 1950-6244. Retrieved 2017-03-10.
  8. Porcher, Joëlle (2010-04-06). "Jacques Viguier, deux fois acquitté". Archived from the original on 2010-06-15. Retrieved 2017-03-10.
  9. David Keohane and Leila Abboud (July 6, 2020), Emmanuel Macron appoints new cabinet with 2022 election in mind Financial Times.
  10. Sudip Kar-Gupta (February 21, 2020), WikiLeaks' Assange may seek asylum in France: lawyer Reuters.
  11. France, Local (2020-07-07). "Why France's new justice minister is so controversial?".
  12. Dupond-Moretti, E.; Monsénégo, L. (2018). Le Dictionnaire de ma vie - Eric Dupond-Moretti (in French). Kero. p. 133. ISBN 978-2-36658-370-0.
  13. "Aubry officiellement candidate en 2014 : quels acteurs de la société civile lilloise autour de Martine ?". DailyNord (in French). Archived from the original on 2013-03-12. Retrieved 2017-03-10.
  14. "La présomption d'innocence est un leurre". l'express (in French). 2017-03-10. Retrieved 2017-03-10.
  15. Elisa Braun (January 24, 2021), Macron vows to change law to protect children from abuse Politico Europe.
  16. ""Il faut interdire le Front national", estime l'avocat Eric Dupont-Moretti". 20minutes.fr (in French). 2015-05-05. Retrieved 2017-03-10.
  17. Elisa Braun (August 31, 2020), Macron’s glue-hunting ban threatens France’s powerful lobby Politico Europe.
  18. "Isabelle Boulay et Eric Dupond-Moretti rapprochés par les bonnes choses". LeGossip.net (in French). 2016-10-19. Retrieved 2017-03-10.
Political offices
Preceded by
Nicole Belloubet		 Minister of Justice
2020–present		 Incumbent
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