Letitia James

Letitia James’ resume includes a string of legal positions but also stints as an activist and, most recently, a politician. After receiving her JD from Howard University, she began practicing law in 1989. From there, she’s worked as a public defender for Legal Aid and at the same time founded the Urban Network, an association of Black-run organizations that together began providing scholarships. She spent time on Governor Mario Cuomo’s Task Force for Diversity, among other government posts but then entered politics in 2001 when she ran for the 35th Council district seat. She was the first member of the Working Families Party to win an office in New York state. She became the first African American woman to hold a citywide office in New York when she became a New York City Public Advocate in 2013. Since then, she’s switched to the Democratic Party before being elected to her current post as the New York Attorney General. 

Why They Made the Worthy 100: As New York AG, James has put together an impressive record prosecuting consumer issues, especially predatory lending. She’s also filed a suit against the NRA, naming four NRA executives as co-defendants. In 2020, she also began investigating neglect of the aged in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. This put her squarely up against Governor Andrew Cuomo, whose coronavirus taskforce was under investigation by the FBI, and then-President Donald Trump. Those relationships were likely further strained when James released a report in 2021 asserting that Governor Cuomo had engaged in several acts of sexual harassment. She also opened two investigations into the Trump Organization in 2020, looking for instances of financial fraud. She has since filed an additional lawsuit against Trump personally, looking to prove the ex-President has engaged in years of financial fraud for personal benefit.