Carol Lam grew up in New Jersey, and was educated at Yale and Stanford Law School.  Soon after law school, she found a job she loved in the Justice Department – as a federal prosecutor in San Diego – where she handled complex health care fraud cases.  Though she enjoyed the work, she accepted an appointment to the California Superior Court bench from Governor Gray Davis.  Carol envisioned a long tenure as a judge – a difficult and vital job – but that changed when she became the presidentially appointed United States Attorney for the Southern District of California – the office in which she started as a prosecutor. Today, Carol plays flute with the La Jolla Symphony & Chorus, serves as a member of the Stanford University Board of Trustees, and works as an MSNBC legal analyst. Carol shares with host Chuck Rosenberg fascinating stories of her work as a judge and a federal prosecutor and reflects on the role of prosecutors in the criminal justice system.  If you have thoughtful feedback on this episode or others, please email us at [email protected].