History of Letitia James in Timeline

Letitia "Tish" James is an American lawyer and politician currently serving as the 67th Attorney General of New York since 2019. She is the first African American woman elected to this position. A member of the Democratic Party, she succeeded Barbara Underwood after winning the 2018 election. James is a notable figure in New York politics and law.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements

1919: Birth of Nellie James

In 1919, Nellie James, Letitia James' mother, was born in Martinsville, Virginia.

Others born on this day/year

October 18, 1958: Letitia James Born

On October 18, 1958, Letitia Ann "Tish" James was born.

Others born on this day/year

1977: First Third-Party Member Elected to City Council Since 1977

Letitia James is the first third-party member to be elected to the city council since 1977.

1981: Bachelor of Arts from Lehman College

In 1981, Letitia James received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Lehman College, majoring in liberal arts with a focus in social work.

1987: Juris Doctor Degree

In 1987, Letitia James received her Juris Doctor degree from Howard University School of Law.

1989: Admitted to Practice Law

In 1989, Letitia James was admitted to practice law in New York State.

1999: Assistant Attorney General

In 1999, Letitia James was appointed the first Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Brooklyn regional office.

November 2001: First Run for 35th Council District

In November 2001, Letitia James ran for the 35th Council district, receiving 42% of the vote on the Working Families Party line but losing to James E. Davis.

July 2003: Assassination of James E. Davis

In July 2003, James E. Davis, who had previously defeated Letitia James in the 2001 election for the 35th Council district, was assassinated.

November 4, 2003: Elected to City Council

On November 4, 2003, Letitia James won the election for the vacant council seat as the Working Families Party nominee, defeating Geoffrey A. Davis.

2004: New York City Council Member

In 2004, Letitia James began her service as a member of the New York City Council, representing the 35th district.

November 8, 2005: Re-elected to City Council

On November 8, 2005, Letitia James was re-elected to the City Council on the Democratic line with 88.11% of the vote.

October 10, 2006: Fire at Broken Angel House

On October 10, 2006, a fire occurred at the Broken Angel House, and Letitia James represented the owner, Arthur Wood, pro bono to keep his home.

2008: Advocated Against Bloomberg's Third Term

In 2008, Letitia James, along with Bill de Blasio, advocated against Mayor Michael Bloomberg's attempts to seek a third term without a voter referendum.

September 2009: Won Democratic Primary

In September 2009, Letitia James won the Democratic primary and was re-elected for a second term.

2011: CityTime Payroll System Irregularities

In 2011, Letitia James questioned cost overruns and irregularities in the subcontracting work of the new CityTime payroll system.

May 2013: Lawsuit Against City Point Project

In May 2013, Letitia James was part of an Article 78 lawsuit against the Bloomberg administration and Acadia Realty Trust, seeking the shutdown of the City Point real estate project.

October 1, 2013: Won Public Advocate Runoff Election

On October 1, 2013, Letitia James won the runoff election against Daniel Squadron to become the Democratic nominee for New York City Public Advocate.

2013: Enrolled at Columbia University

As of 2013, Letitia James was enrolled at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs, working towards a Master of Public Administration degree.

2013: New York City Public Advocate

In 2013, Letitia James became the New York City Public Advocate, marking her as the first African-American woman elected to a citywide office in New York City.

2014: LaPierre Violated Fiduciary Duties

From 2014 to 2022, a jury found that CEO Wayne LaPierre violated his fiduciary duties by mismanaging and misspending charitable funds. This was revealed in February 2024 following a lawsuit brought by the New York Attorney General’s Office.

June 2016: Pressure on Financial Institutions

In June 2016, Letitia James attempted to pressure six financial institutions into ending their practice of providing financial services to gun manufacturers, including a specific request for BB&T to drop the accounts of SIG Sauer.

2017: Won Democratic Primary for Public Advocate

In 2017, Letitia James won the Democratic primary for her position as Public Advocate, securing 77% of the vote.

May 2018: Declared Candidacy for Attorney General

In May 2018, Letitia James declared her candidacy for Attorney General of New York.

September 13, 2018: Won Democratic Primary for Attorney General

On September 13, 2018, Letitia James won the Democratic primary for Attorney General with 40.6% of the vote.

November 6, 2018: Elected Attorney General of New York

On November 6, 2018, Letitia James was elected Attorney General of New York, becoming the first woman and African American elected to that position in New York.

2018: Elected New York Attorney General

In 2018, Letitia James won the election to become the 67th Attorney General of New York, succeeding Barbara Underwood.

2018: End of Term as NYC Public Advocate

In 2018, Letitia James' term as New York City Public Advocate ended.

2018: Statements During 2018 Campaign

In 2018, during her campaign, Letitia James made statements that were later cited in a countersuit filed by the NRA against her.

January 1, 2019: Sworn in as Attorney General

On January 1, 2019, Letitia James was sworn in as Attorney General of New York, succeeding Barbara Underwood.

September 2019: Suit Against All Faiths Cemetery

In September 2019, Letitia James filed suit against officials of Queens's All Faiths Cemetery, alleging financial misconduct.

2019: Began Serving as New York Attorney General

In 2019, Letitia James began serving as the 67th Attorney General of New York.

March 2020: Investigation into Nursing Home Neglect

In early March 2020, the attorney general's office began investigating allegations of COVID-19-related neglect of residents in nursing homes.

August 2020: Lawsuit Against NRA

In August 2020, Letitia James filed a civil lawsuit against the National Rifle Association of America (NRA), accusing the organization of corruption and financial misconduct and calling for its dissolution.

August 2020: Greater New York Hospital Association Provided Draft Ideas

In August 2020, the head of the Greater New York Hospital Association said in a New York State Senate hearing that the lobbying group had provided a "draft" of "some ideas to be included" to the governor's office.

January 28, 2021: Report on Nursing Home Deaths

On January 28, 2021, Letitia James' office released a report concluding that the New York Department of Health's public data under-counted nursing home deaths by up to 50 percent.

March 18, 2021: FBI Scope Included Immunity to Long-Term Care Organizations

On March 18, 2021, The City found that the FBI's scope included a last-minute addition to the state's 2020 budget that provided greater immunity to long-term care organizations.

August 3, 2021: Report on Cuomo's Sexual Harassment

On August 3, 2021, Letitia James's office released a report finding that Governor Cuomo engaged in multiple acts of sexual harassment.

October 29, 2021: Intention to Run for Governor

On October 29, 2021, Letitia James stated her intention to run for the office of Governor of New York in the 2022 Democratic primary.

December 2021: Suspended Gubernatorial Campaign

In December 2021, Letitia James suspended her campaign for the 2022 New York gubernatorial election, opting to run for reelection as Attorney General instead.

2021: Planned Mayoral Run

In 2021, Letitia James initially planned to run for Mayor of New York City, but later shifted her focus.

May 2022: James admits to abortion

In May 2022, Letitia James stated at a rally that she had an abortion early in her tenure as a member of the New York City Council, and walked proudly into Planned Parenthood.

November 8, 2022: Re-elected Attorney General

On November 8, 2022, Letitia James was re-elected Attorney General, defeating Republican Michael Henry in the general election.

2022: LaPierre Violated Fiduciary Duties

2022: 2022 Gubernatorial Election

In 2022, Letitia James initially intended to run for the office of Governor of New York in the Democratic primary but withdrew from the race in December, choosing to seek reelection as Attorney General.

2022: Civil Lawsuit Against Trump Organization

In 2022, Letitia James, as New York Attorney General, initiated a civil lawsuit against the Trump Organization and collaborated with the Manhattan district attorney's office in their criminal investigation of the organization.

May 4, 2023: Investigation of NFL

On May 4, 2023, Letitia James and her California counterpart Rob Bonta announced a joint investigation into the National Football League (NFL) over employment practices.

February 2024: NRA Mismanagement Found

In February 2024, a lawsuit brought by the New York Attorney General’s Office under James found that the NRA mismanaged charitable funds by failing to stop top executives, including CEO Wayne LaPierre, from diverting millions of dollars for personal use.

February 16, 2024: Fraud Case Against Donald Trump Successful

On February 16, 2024, the fraud case against Donald Trump, led by Letitia James, resulted in a successful ruling. Judge Arthur Engoron's decision barred Trump from operating any business in New York for three years and imposed a fine exceeding $355 million.

February 12, 2025: Civil Lawsuit Filed Against James

On February 12, 2025, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that the Department of Justice was filing a civil lawsuit against Letitia James, along with other officials in the state such as Kathy Hochul, over their handling of immigration issues.

February 2025: Revocation of Security Clearance

In February 2025, President Trump revoked Letitia James's security clearance, along with several other officials, citing a lack of respect and alleged illegal activities. James's office dismissed the action, stating it had no impact on her work.

April 2025: Referred for Possible Criminal Prosecution

In April 2025, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) referred Letitia James to the US Department of Justice for possible criminal prosecution, alleging that she misrepresented facts in three separate instances in order to gain government assistance and more favorable loan terms. James denied the allegations, calling them "baseless" retaliation by president Trump.