25 Facts About Karl Racine

Karl Anthony Racine was born on December 14,1962 and is a Haitian-American lawyer and politician.

Karl Racine was the first independently elected Attorney General for the District of Columbia, a position he held from 2015 to 2023.

Karl Racine attended public schools until eighth grade and graduated from St John's College High School, and was a star high school basketball player.

Karl Racine attended the University of Pennsylvania and became the team captain of the basketball team.

Karl Racine led the team to two Ivy League championships and made the second team all-Ivy League two times.

Karl Racine then went to the University of Virginia School of Law, where he worked at a pro bono clinic representing migrant farm workers.

Karl Racine said he was drawn to the law because of the role lawyers played in advancing civil rights.

Karl Racine returned to Venable in 2000 and was elected managing partner in 2006, becoming the first black managing partner of a top-100 law firm.

Karl Racine led the team representing food services corporation Sodexo in a class action racial discrimination suit brought by over 2,500 African American employees, one of the largest such suits brought after the 1991 amendments to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

From 2011 to 2012, Karl Racine represented DC Councilmember Harry Thomas Jr.

In July 2014, Karl Racine led an inquest into state-issued credit card spending by members of the Board of Education in Montgomery County, Maryland, finding no evidence of intentional wrongdoing but recommending that access to the cards be revoked.

In September 2017, Karl Racine announced he would run for reelection.

Karl Racine was mentioned as a possible candidate for mayor in 2022, to challenge incumbent Mayor Muriel Bowser.

Karl Racine did not seek reelection as the city's Attorney General in 2022.

In line with these priorities, Attorney General Karl Racine helped end mandatory shackling of juveniles appearing before DC Superior Court and expanded options for rehabilitating low-risk juvenile offenders.

Under Attorney General Karl Racine, OAG has increased participation in the program five-fold, positively impacting young lives and increasing public safety.

In 2015, Attorney General Karl Racine established a standalone Office of Consumer Protection within OAG focused on outreach, education and legal actions to protect consumers.

Karl Racine has brought tens of millions of dollars to the District through settlements and judgments in cases against corporate wrongdoers.

In 2017, Karl Racine established the Public Advocacy Division to bring affirmative litigation to preserve affordable housing, protect residents against wage theft, safeguard the environment and ensure public integrity.

In 2019, Karl Racine's office sued DoorDash for not paying customers' tips to delivery drivers.

DoorDash used the tips to offset the "guaranteed amount" it paid drivers for each delivery, despite wording on its mobile app and website that said tips would be added to drivers' earnings, which Karl Racine called "deceptive" and a violation of the District's Consumer Protection Procedures Act.

In 2021, Karl Racine launched an antitrust lawsuit against Amazon, which was dismissed in court in March 2022.

Karl Racine served as a board member of the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia, as a member of the steering committee of the Whitman-Walker Clinic's Legal Services Program, and as a board member of the local literacy organization Everybody Wins.

Karl Racine has been active in aiding his native Haiti, raising $125,000 from Venable's lawyers, staff, and foundation to support relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and raising money for the Haitian Education and Leadership Program.

In 2022, Karl Racine was named by Carnegie Corporation of New York as an honoree of the Great Immigrants Award.