Paul Hackett

The family lives in Indian Hill, an affluent Cincinnati suburb, on a small farm along the Little Miami River built in 1802.

Lieutenant Colonel Paul Lewis Hackett III (born October 21, 1963) is an American lawyer and veteran of the Iraq War who unsuccessfully sought election to the United States Congress from the Second District of Ohio in the August 2, 2005, special election.

Hackett, a Democrat, narrowly lost to Republican Jean Schmidt, a former member of the Ohio House of Representatives, providing the best showing in the usually solidly Republican district by any Democrat since the 1974 election.

Hackett's campaign attracted national attention and substantial expenditures by both parties.

Hackett was admitted to the Ohio bar on November 7, 1988, and practices law in downtown Cincinnati with the Hackett Law Office, which he opened in 1994.

Hackett saw active duty in the United States Marine Corps from 1989 to 1992, and then joined the Select Marine Corps Reserve.

Hackett told the Dayton Daily News his friend Mike Brautigam, who met him at the airport upon his return, had told him Rob Portman, congressman since 1993, was resigning to become United States Trade Representative and Hackett should run for his seat.

Hackett decided to enter the race before reaching home.

Hackett was elected to the city council of Milford, Ohio, a city in Clermont and Hamilton Counties, in 1995 to replace Chris Imbus, who was recalled from office by a vote of 410 to 86.

In the recall election on May 2, he defeated businessman Jacques E. Smith by a vote of 388 to 81.

On the Milford council, he opposed efforts to Rezone a parcel of land in order to retain the Milford post office within the city limits.

They have three children, Grace (born 1997), Seamus (born 2000), and Liam (born 2003).

He resigned from the council in September 1998 to devote more time to his family and his law practice and was replaced on the council by James Gradolf.

When Hackett purchased a home in Indian Hill in 2000, the purchase made The Cincinnati Enquirer's column of most expensive real-estate transactions in the area.

Hackett decided to run for Congress because "with all that this country has given me, I felt it wasn't right for me to be enjoying life in Indian Hill when Marines were fighting and dying in Iraq," he told The Cincinnati Post.

In 2004, he volunteered for active duty in the Iraq War, spending seven months as a civil affairs officer with the 4th Civil Affairs Group of the 1st Marine Division.

He was assigned to Ramadi and supported the Fallujah campaign and reconstruction efforts there in addition to acting as a convoy commander on over 150 convoys throughout Al Anbar Province during his deployment.

On October 21, 2004, a convoy under his command was hit by two roadside bombs, but Hackett was uninjured.

Weemer had contacted Hackett two years earlier after he had successfully represented other Marines charged with violations of the law of war in Haditha in November 2005.

Hackett represented Weemer pro bono.

When asked why, Hackett stated that "these Marines protected me when I was in Fallujah, it's the least I could do."

The trial lasted two weeks after which the 8 member court martial deliberated for 8 hours and announced its decision acquitting Weemer of all charges and specifications, to unpremeditated murder and dereliction of duty.

Weemer's acquittal was awarded by the 8 member jury despite the government's introduction into evidence of Weemer's audio confession to the alleged violations of war.

Despite the audio confession, the 8 member jury was persuaded by Hackett's argument and through his cross examination of NCIS Special Agent Fox that Weemer had been coerced into confessing to the charged offenses by his interrogators; namely NCIS Special Agent Fox.

This is the only known instance in American Jurisprudence that a jury acquitted a defendant of murder charges after the acceptance into evidence by the trial court and publication to the jury of the defendant's alleged audio confession.

Hackett, who The New York Times said is six foot two and "garrulous, profane, and quick with a barked retort or a mischievous joke", was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Paul and Beth Hackett, who lived at the time in Gates Mills.

When an infant, his family moved to West Palm Beach, Florida, where his father worked for the Pratt and Whitney aircraft engine company.

Before Hackett started school, his family returned to Ohio when his father took a job with the General Electric Company's aircraft engine division in Evendale, a Cincinnati suburb.

Hackett lived in the Ohio towns of Wyoming, Montgomery and Indian Hill, and attended the Seven Hills School and Indian Hill High School.

He has a Bachelor of Arts from Case Western Reserve University and a Juris Doctor from the Cleveland State University College of Law.

Hackett also attended American University in Washington, D.C., studying under the university's Washington Semester program in Journalism.

He returned to Ohio in early 2005.

Hackett continues to serve in the United States Marine Corps Reserves and retired from the Marine Corps in April 2022 after more than 28 years of commissioned service in the Marine Corps.

Hackett's personal awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal and the Combat Action Ribbon.

Hackett is married to Suzanne (Suzi) C. Hackett.

Hackett faced Republican nominee Jean Schmidt in the August 2, 2005, special election.

It was viewed by some observers as the first round of the 2006 elections.

In October 2005, Hackett said he would seek the Democratic nomination in 2006 to challenge incumbent U.S. Senator Mike DeWine; however, he dropped out of the race on February 14, 2006, and said that he would return to his law practice.

On April 9, 2009, Hackett, acting as defense counsel to Sgt. Ryan Weemer, USMC, obtained an acquittal on charges of murdering an insurgent in Fallujah on November 9, 2004, the Second Battle of Fallujah's first day.

Additionally, Hackett was admitted to the Colorado bar on April 26, 2016.