Letitia James

Letitia Ann "Tish" James was born on October 18, 1958, and is an American lawyer and politician from New York. She has served as the 67th Attorney General of New York since January 1, 2019. James is a member of the Democratic Party and made history as the first Black person and first woman to serve as New York's Attorney General. She is also the first Black woman to hold statewide office in New York State.

Political Experience

James began her political career as a New York City Council member representing the 35th district in Brooklyn from 2004 to 2013. This district includes the neighborhoods of Clinton Hill, Fort Greene, parts of Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, and Bedford–Stuyvesant. During her tenure on the City Council, she chaired the committees on economic development and sanitation and championed the Safe Housing Act, legislation requiring landlords to improve living conditions in neglected buildings.

From 2013 to 2018, James served as the New York City Public Advocate, becoming the first African American woman elected to citywide office in New York City. In this role, she transformed the office into a powerful advocate for change, handling over 32,000 constituent complaints and passing more legislation than all previous Public Advocates combined. Notable achievements included a groundbreaking law banning salary history questions in employment to address wage gaps and successfully pushing New York City's largest pension fund to divest from gun and ammunition retailers.

In 2018, James ran for Attorney General of New York, winning the Democratic primary on September 13, 2018, with 40.6% of the vote and winning the general election on November 6, 2018. She was reelected in November 2022, defeating Republican Michael Henry.

Notable Achievements

As Attorney General, James has focused on lowering costs for working families and holding bad actors accountable. She has secured more than $9 billion from individuals and corporations who violated state laws, including more than $3 billion from opioid manufacturers and distributors and more than $70 million in settlements from neglectful nursing homes.