Loretta Elizabeth Lynch was born on May 21,1959 and is an American lawyer who served as the 83rd attorney general of the United States from 2015 to 2017.
32 Facts About Loretta Lynch
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Loretta Lynch was appointed by President Barack Obama to succeed Eric Holder and previously served as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York under Presidents Bill Clinton, George W Bush and Obama.
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Loretta Lynch then practiced law in New York and became a federal prosecutor in 1990, rising to become head of the Eastern District office.
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Loretta Lynch later returned to private law practice until she became the top district prosecutor again.
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Loretta Lynch was sworn in as Attorney General in April 2015.
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In May 2019, Paul, Weiss announced that Loretta Lynch would be joining the firm as a partner in the litigation department.
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Loretta Lynch earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and American literature from Harvard College in 1981 and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1984, where she was a member of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau.
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Loretta Lynch is a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority, and was a charter member of the Xi Tau chapter of the sorority while at Harvard.
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In 2017, Loretta Lynch was awarded an honorary degree from Duke University.
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Loretta Lynch joined the Eastern District as a drug and violent-crime prosecutor in the US Attorney's office in 1990.
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Loretta Lynch remained there until January 20,2010, when President Barack Obama nominated Lynch to again serve as United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
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Loretta Lynch's office prosecuted Republican congressman Michael Grimm; prosecuted Democratic politicians Pedro Espada Jr.
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The investigation culminated in the indictment of 14 senior FIFA officials and sports marketing executives shortly after Loretta Lynch was confirmed as Attorney General.
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Loretta Lynch became a partner in the firm's litigation department, where she represents individuals, companies, and corporate boards of directors in high-stakes cases, regulatory matters, and investigations.
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In December 2020, Loretta Lynch had been hired by the National Football League to help investigate allegations of misconduct among the owners of the Washington Football Team, one of the league's member clubs.
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Several Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee including chairman Chuck Grassley, opposed Loretta Lynch's confirmation, saying it was important to find out more about Loretta Lynch's role in settling a $1.9 billion money-laundering deal with HSBC when she served as United States Attorney in New York.
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Loretta Lynch's appointment was confirmed the same day by a 56 to 43 vote.
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Loretta Lynch was sworn in by Vice President Joe Biden on April 27,2015.
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In July 2015, after the Charleston church shooting, Loretta Lynch announced the suspected shooter Dylann Roof would be charged with a hate crime.
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On December 7,2015, Loretta Lynch stated the Justice Department would be investigating the Chicago Police Department to see if there was a potential violation of civil rights in the case of Laquan McDonald.
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On March 3,2016, following the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Loretta Lynch said charges would be filed soon against participants in the standoff while appearing in Portland, Oregon to commemorate the community's policing.
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In May 2016, Loretta Lynch delivered the commencement address at Spelman College in Atlanta.
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In June 2016, in response to the Orlando nightclub shooting, Loretta Lynch made multiple appearances on television news shows to highlight the ongoing investigation of the FBI.
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Loretta Lynch said edited transcripts of the conversation between the shooter and the FBI negotiators would be released.
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In October 2016, Loretta Lynch removed the Brooklyn FBI agents and federal prosecutors from the death of Eric Garner case, replacing them with agents from outside New York.
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Loretta Lynch later called the document "one of the bricks in the load" that led to his decision to not consult with the Department of Justice before closing the investigation.
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The next day, during a press conference in Phoenix, Loretta Lynch denied the conversation was about the Hillary Clinton email controversy or any matters pertaining to it, saying the discussion instead involved personal social topics such as travels, golf, and grandchildren.
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On June 8,2017, former FBI head James Comey testified under oath that Loretta Lynch had instructed him to not refer to the Clinton email scandal as an "investigation" and instead refer to it as a "matter".
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In June 2017, the Senate Judiciary Committee launched a bipartisan investigation into whether or not Loretta Lynch tried to interfere with the Hillary Clinton email investigation.
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The Inspector General's report, released in June 2018, called Loretta Lynch's tarmac meeting with Bill Clinton an error of judgment for the public perception it created, but found no political bias.
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Loretta Lynch uses her married name, Loretta Lynch Hargrove in her personal life.
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Loretta Lynch's husband has two children from a previous marriage.