Letitia James

Letitia James (2013)

Letitia Ann "Tish" James (born October 18, 1958 in New York City ) is an American lawyer and politician ( D ). Since 2019 she has held the office of Attorney General in the state of New York and is thus a member of the government of that state. She was previously a New York City Public Advocate since 2014 .

Career

James at a demonstration in New York in 2018

Letitia James grew up in the Bronx, New York , where she attended a public college . At Lehman College , she received in 1981 her Bachelor of Arts . She then studied at Howard University in Washington law . James was admitted to the bar in New York State in 1989. She then turned to public service and joined the Democratic Party . Among other things, she was on the staff of the then governor Mario Cuomo and advised his office on legal issues. She later worked for several members of the New York State Parliament .

2001 candidate James for the first time for the City Council of New York (New York City Council) , but did not reach a majority vote. With a second attempt in 2003 it was finally successful. After several re-elections, she was a member until December 31, 2013, when she assumed the office of New York Public Advocate . In November 2013 she was elected to succeed Bill de Blasio , who at the same time took office as mayor of the metropolis. In 2017 it was confirmed by the voters.

After New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman had to resign because of allegations of abuse in the spring of 2018 and was not available for re-election in the fall of that year, James announced her candidacy for this office. At the Primary of the Democrats in September 2018, she prevailed against several inner-party competitors, including the left-wing activist Zephyr Teachout . Her candidacy was supported by leading New York Democrats, as voted for by Governor Andrew Cuomo . The actual election on November 6, 2018, James clearly won with 62.4% of the vote against Republican Keith Wofford. On January 1, 2019, she was sworn in as Attorney General and at the same time resigned as New York Public Advocate. The post corresponds to that of a General Prosecutor , and is occasionally compared to that of a Minister of Justice . As Attorney General, Letitia James is the first woman and first African American in the state. Her priorities include strengthening civil rights, protecting minorities and stricter gun control . In August 2020, she brought charges against the National Rifle Association and four senior members for embezzlement of $ 64 million with the aim of disbanding the lobby group.

Web links

Commons : Letitia James  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Site of the New York Attorney General (English)

Individual evidence

1. ^ New York's next attorney general targeted slumlords. Now she's going after Trump , The Washington Post, December 19, 2018
2. ↑ James Sworn In As NY Attorney General , WAMC Public Radio, January 1, 2019
3. ^ SPIEGEL Politics: New York attorney general calls for the NRA to be dissolved. Retrieved August 6, 2020 .