Letitia Ann James Bio
Letitia Ann “Tish” James, born on October 18, 1958, in Brooklyn, New York, is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the 67th Attorney General of New York since January 1, 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she is the first Black person to serve as New York attorney general and the first Black woman elected to statewide office in New York. Before her statewide role, James served on the New York City Council from 2004 to 2013 and as New York City Public Advocate from 2014 to 2018.
James holds a Bachelor of Arts from Lehman College, a Juris Doctor from Howard University School of Law, and a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. As attorney general, she has pursued high-profile civil actions involving the Trump Organization, the National Rifle Association, and the National Football League’s employment practices.
Early Life and Background
Letitia Ann James was born on October 18, 1958, in Brooklyn, New York, one of eight children. Her mother, Nellie James, was born in 1919 in Martinsville, Virginia, and her father is Robert James. Raised in the Park Slope neighborhood, James attended New York City public schools and graduated from Fort Hamilton High School in nearby Bay Ridge.
She went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts from the City University of New York’s Lehman College in 1981, majoring in liberal arts with an emphasis on social work. James later obtained her Juris Doctor from Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C., in 1987, and was admitted to practice law in New York State in 1989. In 2013, she completed a Master of Public Administration at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.
Path to US Politics
James began her legal career as a public defender for the Legal Aid Society, where she represented low-income New Yorkers in criminal cases. She later established the Urban Network, a coalition of African-American professional organizations that provided scholarships for inner-city youth. Her early work also included service on former Governor Mario Cuomo’s Task Force on Diversity in the Judiciary, counsel work for Brooklyn politician Albert Vann, and a staff role with Roger L. Green in the New York State Assembly.
In 1999, James was appointed the first Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Brooklyn regional office under Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. In that role, she focused heavily on consumer protection cases, particularly those involving predatory lending and other unlawful business practices. She later served as a William S. Beinecke Visiting Professor of Public Policy at Columbia University, reflecting her standing in legal and policy circles before entering elected office.
Letitia Ann James Career
Early Career (2001–2013)
James’s first run for elected office came in November 2001, when she campaigned for the 35th Council district in Brooklyn on the Working Families Party line but lost narrowly to Democrat James E. Davis. After Davis was assassinated in July 2003, his brother Geoffrey sought the vacant seat, but James won the November 2003 election by a wide margin and became the first citywide office-holder to run solely on the Working Families Party line. She later rejoined the Democratic Party.
Re-elected multiple times in overwhelmingly Democratic-leaning Brooklyn, James served on the New York City Council from 2004 to 2013, representing the 35th district, which covers Clinton Hill, Fort Greene, parts of Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, and Bedford-Stuyvesant. She chaired the committees on economic development and sanitation, championed the cause of the Broken Angel House owner after a devastating 2006 fire, and helped expose cost overruns in the CityTime payroll project that led to indictments in 2011.
Breakthrough (2013–2018)
In 2013, James ran for New York City Public Advocate, finishing first in the Democratic primary with 36 percent of the vote before winning the runoff against Daniel Squadron, 59.4 percent to 40.6 percent. Without a Republican opponent in the general election, she won with more than 83 percent of the vote, becoming the first African American woman elected to a citywide office in New York City.
James won the Democratic primary for Public Advocate again in 2017 with 77 percent of the vote, far ahead of her closest competitor. In May 2018, after Attorney General Eric Schneiderman resigned, she declared her candidacy for Attorney General of New York. She won the Democratic primary on September 13, 2018, with 40.6 percent of the vote, defeating Zephyr Teachout, Leecia Eve, and U.S. Representative Sean Patrick Maloney. On November 6, 2018, James defeated Republican Keith Wofford in the general election and was sworn in as attorney general on January 1, 2019.
Democratic Era (2019–Present)
As New York’s chief legal officer, James has pursued a series of high-profile matters. In February 2024, a state judge ruled in a civil fraud case brought by her office against the Trump Organization, barring Donald Trump from operating any business in New York for three years and fining him more than $355 million. An appellate court later upheld Trump’s liability but voided the penalty as excessive, and James has announced plans to appeal.
James also filed a civil suit against the National Rifle Association in August 2020 alleging corruption and financial misconduct. In February 2024, a jury found that NRA executives, including CEO Wayne LaPierre, had breached their fiduciary duties and ordered millions of dollars in damages. Her office has additionally investigated COVID-19-related neglect in nursing homes, released an August 2021 report finding that Governor Andrew Cuomo had engaged in multiple acts of sexual harassment, and joined California in examining the NFL’s employment practices in 2023.
Notable Events and Milestones
James made history in January 2019 as the first Black woman elected to statewide office in New York and the state’s first Black attorney general. She was reelected in 2022 after all prior Democratic primary challengers withdrew and endorsed her, defeating Republican Michael Henry in the general election on November 8, 2022. In 2025, James supported Democratic mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani and presented a united front with him against President Donald Trump.
Letitia Ann James Career Wins
James has compiled a record of electoral victories spanning more than two decades in New York public life. Her wins include city council races, two terms as Public Advocate, and two statewide elections as Attorney General of New York.
Electoral Highlights
After her initial 2001 council loss, James won the 2003 race for the 35th Council district and was repeatedly reelected, including an 88.11 percent victory in 2005. She captured the Public Advocate seat in 2013 with more than 83 percent of the general-election vote, secured the 2017 Democratic primary with 77 percent, and won the 2018 Democratic primary for Attorney General with 40.6 percent before defeating Republican Keith Wofford. James was reelected Attorney General in 2022 after running unopposed in the Democratic primary and defeating Republican Michael Henry.
Other Wins and Achievements
Beyond electoral victories, James secured landmark legal rulings, including the February 2024 fraud judgment against the Trump Organization and the 2024 jury verdict ordering former NRA executives to repay millions in damages. Her office’s January 2021 report on COVID-19 nursing-home deaths was credited with reshaping public understanding of the state’s pandemic response.
Letitia Ann James Family
Family Background and Lineage
James is one of eight children raised by her mother, Nellie James, originally of Martinsville, Virginia, and her father, Robert James. She grew up in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn and attended New York City public schools before going on to study social work at Lehman College.
Personal Life
James lives in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn and is a member of Emmanuel Baptist Church. She has never married. In May 2022, she publicly discussed her support for abortion rights and shared that she had an abortion early in her tenure on the New York City Council.