Michael Chertoff (born November 28, 1953) is an American attorney. He was the second United States Secretary of Homeland Security under President George W. Bush. He was the co-author of the USA PATRIOT Act. He served as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, as a federal prosecutor, and as Assistant U.S. Attorney General. He succeeded Tom Ridge as U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security on February 15, 2005.