Barbara Underwood

Barbara Underwood
Name	Barbara Underwood
Birth date	January 4, 1944
Birth place	Evansville, Indiana, United States
Occupation	Attorney, academic, public official
Known for	Solicitor General of the United States (acting), New York State Attorney General (acting), Principal Deputy Solicitor General of the United States
Alma mater	Radcliffe College, Yale Law School
Office	Attorney General of New York (Acting)
Term start	May 8, 2018
Term end	December 31, 2018
Predecessor	Eric Schneiderman
Successor	Letitia James

Barbara Underwood

Barbara Underwood is an American lawyer, academic, and public official who served in high-level prosecutorial and appellate advocacy roles at the state and federal levels. She has held positions in the United States Department of Justice, the Office of the Solicitor General of the United States, and the New York State Attorney General's office, and has been associated with leading legal institutions and civic organizations throughout her career. Underwood's work spans constitutional litigation, appellate advocacy, and legal education, influencing jurisprudence in venues such as the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and state courts in New York (state).

Early life and education

Underwood was born in Evansville, Indiana and raised in a family that emphasized public service and scholarship. She attended Radcliffe College where she studied liberal arts amidst contemporaries linked to Harvard University life, later enrolling at Yale Law School for her legal training. At Yale she engaged with faculty and visiting scholars from institutions like Columbia Law School, Stanford Law School, and New York University School of Law while developing interests that would lead her to clerkships and roles in the United States Department of Justice. During her formative years she encountered legal thinkers connected to the American Bar Association, the ACLU, and the Legal Aid Society.

Legal career

Underwood began her post-law school career with clerkships and roles that connected her to federal appellate practice and trial work. Early appointments brought her into contact with the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit through professional networks tied to the Federal Judicial Center and the National Association of Attorneys General. She served in the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York and later joined the Office of the Solicitor General of the United States, where she worked on merits briefs and oral arguments in the United States Supreme Court. Underwood also served as Principal Deputy Solicitor General under Solicitors General who had ties to the Executive Office of the President, the United States Department of Justice Civil Division, and the Office of Legal Counsel.

Over decades she occupied senior roles in the New York State Attorney General's office, including as Solicitor General of New York, collaborating with entities such as the New York County District Attorney's Office, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, and state regulatory agencies like the New York State Department of Financial Services. Her appellate practice intersected with matters brought by organizations including the National Rifle Association, the Sierra Club, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

New York State Attorney General

Following the resignation of Eric Schneiderman, Underwood was appointed as Acting Attorney General of New York (state) and led the office through a transitional period in 2018, coordinating with the New York State Legislature, the New York Court of Appeals, and municipal leaders from New York City, Albany, New York, and other jurisdictions. She managed litigation involving state agencies such as the New York State Department of Health and the New York State Education Department, and supervised enforcement actions that engaged federal counterparts including the Federal Trade Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Underwood oversaw civil rights and consumer protection matters that drew attention from national organizations like Human Rights Campaign, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and the American Civil Liberties Union.

Her interim tenure involved coordination with political figures such as Andrew Cuomo, leaders of the New York State Senate, and advocates from groups like Planned Parenthood and Common Cause. The office under her stewardship pursued actions related to environmental regulation, financial oversight, and administrative law, bringing cases that implicated federal statutes and state statutes influenced by precedents from the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the United States Supreme Court.

Notable cases and legal positions

Throughout her career Underwood argued and supervised appeals on issues involving constitutional law, administrative law, consumer protection, and civil liberties. She has presented arguments before the United States Supreme Court and handled appeals in circuits including the Second Circuit and the D.C. Circuit. She opposed federal executive actions challenged by states and advocacy groups, coordinated multistate litigation with attorneys general from jurisdictions like California, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, and Illinois, and engaged with national coalitions such as the National Association of Attorneys General.

Her notable positions include defending state consumer protection statutes against challenges brought by corporations and trade associations including the Business Roundtable and the American Petroleum Institute, and advancing enforcement actions involving financial institutions regulated by the Federal Reserve System and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. She has taken legal stances aligning with entities such as the Department of Health and Human Services on Medicaid matters, and opposing policies advanced by administrations that raised issues overseen by the United States Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Education.

Academic and civic roles

Underwood has taught and lectured at law schools and institutions including Columbia Law School, Fordham University School of Law, and New York University School of Law, interacting with faculty from Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, and Stanford Law School. She has participated in panels and conferences sponsored by the American Bar Association, the Association of American Law Schools, and the Federal Bar Council. Her civic engagement includes service with nonprofit organizations and think tanks such as the Brennan Center for Justice, the Urban Institute, and the Council on Foreign Relations.

She has mentored attorneys in programs affiliated with the Legal Aid Society, the New York Legal Assistance Group, and bar associations including the New York City Bar Association and the American Constitution Society. Underwood's academic contributions include symposia and guest lectures engaging scholars from institutions like the Brookings Institution, the Hoover Institution, and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Awards and honors

Over her career Underwood has received recognition from legal and civic organizations including awards from the American Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, and the Federal Bar Council. She has been honored by groups such as the Women's Bar Association of the State of New York, the New York Civil Liberties Union, and legal education bodies at Yale Law School and Radcliffe College. Her leadership has been noted by philanthropic and policy organizations including the Rockefeller Foundation, the Open Society Foundations, and the Ford Foundation.

Category:1944 births Category:Living people Category:New York State Attorneys General Category:American women lawyers Category:Yale Law School alumni