History of Letitia James in Timeline

Letitia James, also known as Tish James, is an American lawyer and politician currently serving as the 67th Attorney General of New York since 2019. As a member of the Democratic Party, she made history by becoming the first African American woman elected to this position, succeeding Barbara Underwood after winning the 2018 election. James' career is marked by her legal expertise and political achievements within the state of New York.

Sections (2)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements

1919: Birth of Nellie James

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

October 18, 1958: Letitia James Born

Letitia Ann James was born on October 18, 1958, in Brooklyn, New York.

Others born on this day/year

1977: Third-Party Member Elected to City Council

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

1981: Bachelor of Arts Degree

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

1987: Juris Doctor Degree

In 1987, Letitia James earned her Juris Doctor degree from Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C.

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 as the first Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Brooklyn regional office, focusing on consumer complaints related to predatory lending and unlawful business practices.

November 2001: First Run for 35th Council District

In November 2001, Letitia James ran for the 35th Council district and received 42% of the vote on the Working Families Party line but lost 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 35th Council district race, was assassinated by Othniel Askew.

November 4, 2003: Election to City Council

On November 4, 2003, Letitia James won the election for the vacant council seat in the 35th district as the Working Families Party nominee, defeating Geoffrey A. Davis.

2004: New York City Council Member

In 2004, Letitia James became a member of the New York City Council, representing the 35th district.

November 8, 2005: Re-election to City Council

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

October 10, 2006: Broken Angel House Fire

On October 10, 2006, a fire occurred at the Broken Angel House in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, leading to building code violations. Letitia James represented the owner pro bono.

2008: Opposed 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 against her opponents and went on to win re-election for a second term.

2011: CityTime Payroll System Irregularities

In 2011, Letitia James was the first to question cost overruns and irregularities in the subcontracting work of the new CityTime payroll system, which eventually led to indictments, Bloomberg asking a tech giant for $600 million back, and two consultants fleeing the country.

May 2013: Article 78 Lawsuit Against City Point

In May 2013, Letitia James joined a group of construction unions, community groups, and other elected officials in an Article 78 lawsuit against the Bloomberg administration and Acadia Realty Trust seeking the shut-down of the City Point real estate project and a reassessment of its environmental impact.

October 1, 2013: Public Advocate Runoff Election Win

On October 1, 2013, Letitia James won the runoff election for New York City Public Advocate against Daniel Squadron, becoming the party's nominee for the position.

2013: New York City Public Advocate

In 2013, Letitia James became the New York City Public Advocate, the first African-American woman to hold citywide office in New York City.

2013: Master of Public Administration

In 2013, Letitia James earned a Master of Public Administration degree from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs.

2014: NRA Mismanagement

From 2014 to 2022, Wayne LaPierre, the CEO of NRA, was found by a jury to have violated his fiduciary duties which led to him paying the gun rights group $4.3 million in damages for mismanagement and misspending of charitable funds.

June 2016: Pressure on Financial Institutions

In June 2016, Letitia James attempted to pressure six financial institutions, including BB&T, Berkshire Bank, Citizens Financial Group, People's United Bank, Regions Financial Corporation and TD Bank, 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 of New Hampshire.

2017: Won Democratic Primary

In 2017, Letitia James won the Democratic primary for her position with 77% of the vote, over closest competitor David Eisenbach's 23%.

May 2018: Declared Candidacy for Attorney General

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

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

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

2018: End of term as New York City Public Advocate

In 2018, James's term as the New York City Public Advocate concluded.

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. She is the first African American woman to be elected to this position.

2018: NRA Countersuit

In 2018, the NRA filed a countersuit against James, citing statements she made during her campaign.

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 the officials of All Faiths Cemetery in Queens, alleging financial misconduct.

2019: Serving as Attorney General of New York

Since 2019, Letitia James has been serving as the 67th Attorney General of New York.

March 2020: Investigation of COVID-19 Nursing Home Neglect

In early March 2020, the attorney general's office began a preliminary investigation into allegations of COVID-19-related neglect of residents in nursing homes, soliciting 953 complaints from patients' families through November 16.

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. The NRA filed a countersuit against James.

August 2020: GNYHA Draft to Governor's Office

In August 2020, the head of the Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA) stated in a New York State Senate hearing that the lobbying group had provided a "draft" of "some ideas to be included" to Governor Cuomo's office regarding immunity to long-term care organizations.

January 28, 2021: Report on Nursing Home Deaths

On January 28, 2021, the attorney general's office released its first report on nursing homes and the state Department of Health (DOH), concluding that the department's public data under-counted nursing home deaths by up to 50 percent.

March 18, 2021: FBI Investigation Scope

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: Announced Gubernatorial Candidacy

On October 29, 2021, Letitia James announced 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 and chose 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 instead declared her candidacy for Attorney General of New York in May 2018 after Eric Schneiderman resigned.

May 2022: Support for Abortion Rights

In May 2022, at a rally, Letitia James stated her support for abortion rights, sharing her personal experience of having an abortion early in her tenure as a member of the New York City Council and expressing no apologies for her decision.

November 8, 2022: Re-elected Attorney General

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

2022: NRA Mismanagement

2022: Planned Gubernatorial Run

In 2022, Letitia James intended to run for the office of Governor of New York but withdrew from the race in December 2021.

2022: New York Gubernatorial Election

In 2022, Letitia James was briefly a candidate in the New York gubernatorial election, before suspending her campaign in December 2021.

2022: Civil Lawsuit Against the Trump Organization

In 2022, as New York Attorney General, Letitia James filed a civil lawsuit against the Trump Organization and collaborated with the Manhattan district attorney's office in its criminal investigation. This action was met with claims of political vendetta from Trump, citing prior comments from James.

May 4, 2023: Investigation of NFL Employment Practices

On May 4, 2023, Letitia James and California Attorney General Rob Bonta jointly announced an investigation into the National Football League's employment practices in New York City and Los Angeles, following a report in The New York Times that detailed allegations of harassment and discrimination from former female staffers.

February 2024: NRA Mismanagement Lawsuit Verdict

In February 2024, a lawsuit brought by the New York Attorney General’s Office under James found that the NRA mismanaged charitable funds when it failed to stop top executives, including CEO Wayne LaPierre, from diverting millions of dollars for lavish personal trips, no-show contracts and other questionable expenditures. A jury found that LaPierre should pay the gun rights group $4.3 million in damages for mismanagement and misspending of charitable funds, having violated his fiduciary duties from 2014 to 2022. The panel also found the NRA’s former CFO Wilson Phillips should pay back $2 million for breaching his fiduciary duties as an executive.

February 16, 2024: Fraud Case Against Donald Trump

On February 16, 2024, Letitia James's fraud case against Donald Trump proved successful. Judge Arthur Engoron's ruling barred Trump from operating any business in New York for three years and fined him more than $355 million.

February 12, 2025: Civil Lawsuit Filed by Department of Justice

On February 12, 2025, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that the Department of Justice was filing a civil lawsuit against Letitia James, as well as 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 announced the revocation of Letitia James's security clearance, along with other officials. Trump cited a lack of respect and concerns of potential law-breaking as the reasons for the decision. James's office dismissed the action, stating it had no impact on her work.

April 2025: Referral to the Department of Justice

In April 2025, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) referred Letitia James to the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) for possible criminal prosecution, alleging that she had misrepresented facts in three separate instances in order to gain government assistance and more favorable loan terms.

May 2025: FBI Opens Criminal Probe

In May 2025, the FBI opened a formal criminal probe into the mortgage fraud claims against Letitia James. Her lawyer dismissed the accusations of improperly claiming a property as her primary residence, stating that it was a mistake that had no significance.

August 2025: Appeals Court Ruling

In August 2025, the appeals court upheld Trump's liability but voided the penalty as excessive. James plans to appeal the voiding of the penalty.

October 2025: Federal Indictment

In October 2025, Letitia James was federally indicted on one count of bank fraud and one count of making false statements to a financial institution, following pressure from Donald Trump to prosecute his political opponents.