Letitia James has served as New York Attorney General since 2019. She was previously the New York City Public Advocate and a New York City Council Member from Brooklyn.

Her first two terms have distinguished her as a strong advocate for protecting New York’s interests in court and as a leading voting rights champion nationally. She has filed dozens of lawsuits against the federal administration, successfully stopping attempts to freeze billions of dollars in federal funding to essential New York programs; blocking the shutdown of the Gateway/Hudson Tunnel project; stopping the addition of a citizenship question to the Census; and others. Her office is currently involved in election-related litigation to fight the Department of Justice’s attempts to obtain New York’s voter rolls, the Postal Service’s rule regulating mail voting, and President Trump’s 2025 executive order asserting federal control over the conduct of elections.

James has been criticized for focusing too heavily on President Trump, particularly in connection with the civil case she brought against him. Yet, whatever one thinks of that case, her office has maintained a professional approach, and the cases it has pursued have been grounded in facts and the rule of law and have overwhelmingly been successful in court. Her work has also made her the target of what appears to be politically motivated action by the U.S. Department of Justice.

James’s record also includes major settlements with opioid manufacturers, social media platforms, and ghost gun distributors. But she has not focused as much on public corruption and official misconduct, aside from early actions against the mayor of Mount Vernon and then-Governor Andrew Cuomo. We echo her call for the Attorney General to receive independent jurisdiction to investigate corruption cases, and encourage her to demonstrate more creativity in pursuing public integrity cases under the current legal framework.

Citizens Union endorses Letitia James for New York Attorney General because she has demonstrated the independence, legal ability, and willingness to use the powers of the office to defend New Yorkers and hold powerful interests accountable. We believe she has earned a third term and should continue that work, while making public integrity and the fight against corruption a greater priority in her next term.

Born in Brooklyn, Saritha Komatireddy served for more than a decade as a federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of New York, where she led investigations and prosecutions involving terrorism, cybercrime, money laundering, foreign public corruption, violent gangs, and narcotics. She was Chief of Staff of the Drug Enforcement Administration during the Biden administration. She is now a partner at Holtzman Vogel and teaches at Columbia Law School.

Komatireddy’s non-partisan background and record working in government under leaders of both parties demonstrate a strong commitment to public service. She impressed Citizens Union with her thoughtful responses to our questions.

Her central proposal is to refocus the Attorney General’s Office more heavily on street crime, which she tied to issues involving drugs, homelessness, and mental health. Her detailed plan, including close partnerships with local district attorneys and shifting the office’s resources to support them, demonstrated careful consideration of the position and its authorities. But Citizens Union was concerned that her approach would place less emphasis on the Attorney General’s traditional role in civil enforcement and complex crimes that cross county lines.

On threats to New York stemming from the actions of the federal government, Komatireddy said she would not support the Department of Justice’s efforts to obtain the state’s sensitive voter rolls. She also highlighted the importance of independence and impartiality in the Attorney General’s Office regardless of who is president and committed to defending New York against politically motivated prosecutions.

Citizens Union appreciated Komatireddy’s thoughtful approach, her depth of experience, and her clear commitment to public service. We encourage her to continue bringing her experience, independence, and commitment to public service to the people of New York.