Damian Williams (lawyer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Damian Williams
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Official portrait, 2021
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| United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York | |
| In office October 10, 2021 – December 13, 2024 |
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| Appointed by | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Audrey Strauss |
| Succeeded by | Edward Kim (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Andre Damian Williams Jr.
1980 (age 44–45) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Harvard University (BA) Emmanuel College, Cambridge (MPhil) Yale University (JD) |
Andre Damian Williams Jr. (born 1980) is an American lawyer. He served as the top lawyer for the United States government in the Southern District of New York from 2021 to 2024. This is a very important role where he oversaw many significant legal cases.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Williams was born in New York City. He grew up in the Atlanta metropolitan area and is the son of immigrants from Jamaica. His parents divorced when he was young.
High School and College Years
He went to Woodward Academy for high school. There, he was the student body president in his last year. After high school, he studied economics at Harvard University, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2002.
He then went to Emmanuel College, Cambridge in England. He earned a Master of Philosophy degree in international relations in 2003. He received a special scholarship called the Lionel de Jersey Harvard Scholarship to study there.
Law School and Early Work
After his studies in England, Williams worked for a political campaign in 2004. He then attended Yale Law School, one of the best law schools in the United States. He was supported by The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans.
While at Yale, he was an editor for The Yale Law Journal. He graduated in 2007 with a Juris Doctor degree, which is a law degree. He even had an essay published in the Yale Law Journal about improving voting rights.
Legal Career
After law school, Williams worked as a law clerk. This means he helped important judges with their legal research and writing. He worked for Judge Merrick Garland from 2007 to 2008. Judge Garland was on the U.S. Court of Appeals.
Then, he worked for Justice John Paul Stevens at the U.S. Supreme Court from 2008 to 2009. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the country. From 2009 to 2012, he worked as a lawyer at a private law firm called Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney
From 2012 to 2021, Williams worked as an Assistant United States Attorney. This means he was a prosecutor for the government. He worked in the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.
In this role, he led a special team that focused on cases involving securities and commodities fraud. In 2018, he helped with a case involving Sheldon Silver, who was a former leader in the New York State Assembly.
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York
In March 2021, a senator named Chuck Schumer suggested Williams for the role of U.S. Attorney. On August 10, 2021, President Joe Biden officially nominated him for the job.
Confirmation and Historic Role
The Senate confirmed his nomination on October 5, 2021. He officially started his new job on October 10, 2021. Damian Williams made history by becoming the first African-American U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
As U.S. Attorney, Williams oversaw many important cases. His office handled cases involving individuals like Ghislaine Maxwell, Sam Bankman-Fried, Do Kwon, and Jennifer Shah. His office also handled cases involving public figures such as Brian Benjamin, Bob Menendez, Sean Combs, and Eric Adams.
Resignation
On November 25, 2024, Williams announced that he would be leaving his position. His term as U.S. Attorney ended on December 13, 2024.
Personal Life
Williams' family comes from a region in Jamaica called Frome. In 2012, he married Jennifer Wynn, who is also an academic and a Harvard graduate. They met on a bus trip five years before they got married in Manhattan.
See also
- List of law clerks of the Supreme Court of the United States (Seat 4)
