Saritha Komatireddy

Komatireddy was born in Brooklyn (Coney Island) to parents who emigrated from India in the 1980s; she lives on the Upper East Side and is the mother of four.[4][5] She graduated cum laude from Harvard University and magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, where she served on the Harvard Law Review.[7][3] She clerked for then-Judge Brett Kavanaugh on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in 2009–2010, then served as counsel to the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling (2010–2011) and as an associate at a Washington, D.C. litigation firm, Kellogg, Hansen, Todd, Figel & Frederick (2011–2013).[7][1]

Komatireddy served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York for more than a decade, until late 2025. Her leadership roles included Chief of International Narcotics and Money Laundering, Deputy Chief of Appeals and Deputy Chief of General Crimes, and her firm biography says she led cases involving terrorism, cybercrime, money laundering, foreign public corruption, violent gangs and narcotics.[1][5][4] According to that biography, she received awards including Attorney General's Distinguished Service Awards (2022, 2023) and the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation Prosecutor of the Year Award (2023, 2024).[1] She has taught as a Lecturer in Law at Columbia Law School and, previously, as an adjunct professor at George Washington University Law School.[1][7]

President Trump nominated Komatireddy in 2020 to a judgeship on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York; the nomination was returned to the president, unconfirmed, at the Senate's adjournment on January 3, 2021.[7][3] She later served as Chief of Staff of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration during the Biden administration.[1][6][4] Komatireddy became a partner at Holtzman Vogel and received the Republican nomination for Attorney General in February 2026, her first run for elected office.[1][4] During the campaign, she ran a law-and-order campaign against incumbent Letitia James.[5][4] She received 39.8% of the vote to Letitia James's 60.1%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[2]