Barbara Dale Underwood was born on August 16,1944 and is an American lawyer serving as the solicitor general of New York.
19 Facts About Barbara Underwood
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Barbara Underwood was first appointed to the position in January 2007 by Andrew Cuomo, who was then serving as the state's attorney general.
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Barbara Underwood herself served briefly as the attorney general of New York upon Schneiderman's resignation from the position on May 8,2018.
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Barbara Underwood declined to seek the office in the 2018 New York state elections, and resumed the position of Solicitor General after Letitia James was sworn in to succeed her on January 1,2019.
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Barbara Underwood was the first woman to serve as Attorney General of New York.
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Barbara Underwood grew up in Belleville, New Jersey, and is the eldest of three daughters.
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Barbara Underwood has taught at Brooklyn Law School and at New York University School of Law.
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Barbara Underwood left academia to work in the Kings County District Attorney's Office.
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Barbara Underwood later served in the District Attorneys for three different counties in New York City: she was an Assistant District Attorney in New York County, Chief of Appeals and Counsel to the District Attorney in Kings County, and Senior Executive Assistant District Attorney for Legal Affairs in Queens County.
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Barbara Underwood then served as Chief Assistant United States Attorney and later Counsel to the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
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In 1998, Underwood was appointed by United States Attorney General Janet Reno to be Principal Deputy Solicitor General under Solicitor General Seth P Waxman.
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Barbara Underwood held that position for three years, and then served as Acting Solicitor General from January to June 2001, making her the first woman to act as Solicitor General.
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Barbara Underwood has argued twenty-two cases before the US Supreme Court, and many cases before the federal and state appellate courts.
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Barbara Underwood became Acting Attorney General of New York on May 8,2018, following the resignation of Eric Schneiderman.
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Barbara Underwood pledged not to seek elected office and fill out the remainder of Schneiderman's term until an elected successor is sworn in.
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Barbara Underwood, who had never sought or held elective office, professed contentment when she returned to the Solicitor General's office in January 2019.
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On November 30,2020, as Solicitor General of New York, Underwood argued the case Trump v New York on behalf of New York State.
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Barbara Underwood was married to Martin Halpern, a former Brandeis University professor of playwriting and dramatic literature, who died on September 10,2023.
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Barbara Underwood lives in Brooklyn and has one son, Robert, born in 1986.