Letitia James

Letitia James is the incumbent Democratic Attorney General of New York, seeking a third term. A Brooklyn native and former public defender, she served on the New York City Council (2004–2013) and as City Public Advocate before her election as Attorney General in 2018. Since taking office in 2019 she has pursued civil fraud litigation against Donald Trump and the Trump Organization, lawsuits against Trump administration policies, and consumer-protection settlements against corporations including Meta and Capital One. In 2025 she was federally indicted on mortgage-fraud charges; the case was dismissed and two subsequent grand juries declined to re-indict her.[1][2][3][4][5]

James was born in 1958 and raised in Park Slope, Brooklyn, according to Wikipedia; her official biography says she was born and raised in Brooklyn.[5][6] She graduated from Lehman College of the City University of New York (B.A., 1981) and Howard University School of Law (J.D., 1987), and later earned a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University (2013).[4][5][6] She began her career as a public defender at the Legal Aid Society, then worked on the staff of a New York State Assemblymember and in the state Attorney General's Office, where she headed the Brooklyn Regional Office before entering elected office.[5][6]

James ran for the City Council in 2001 on the Working Families Party line and lost, then won in a 2003 election; according to Wikipedia, she was the first Working Families Party member to win office in New York State.[6] She served on the New York City Council representing Brooklyn's 35th District from 2004 to 2013, chairing the Economic Development and Sanitation committees, and her official biography cites the Safe Housing Act, which she passed as a council member.[4][6][5] She then served as New York City Public Advocate from 2014 to 2018, the first African American woman to be elected to and hold citywide office in New York City.[4][6]

James was elected Attorney General of New York in 2018, becoming the first woman elected to the office, and was sworn in on January 1, 2019. She briefly ran for governor in 2021, suspending that campaign in December 2021 to seek re-election as Attorney General, and won re-election in 2022, defeating Michael Henry 54.6% to 45.3%.[1][5][6] Her office sued Donald Trump and the Trump Organization in a civil fraud case; a trial judge ruled against them in February 2024, and an appeals court later upheld the finding of liability while voiding the penalty as excessive, with further appeals pending.[4][6] James was indicted in October 2025 in the Eastern District of Virginia on one count of bank fraud and one count of making false statements to a financial institution, alleging misstatements on a mortgage application; she pleaded not guilty and her attorney said the case was driven by President Trump's desire for revenge. A federal judge dismissed the case in November 2025 after finding the appointment of the interim U.S. attorney invalid.[4][6][2]

Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.