Kwame Raoul was sworn in as the 42nd Attorney General of Illinois in January 2019. He began his legal career as a prosecutor in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office handling matters at the trial and appellate level in the criminal, civil, and juvenile divisions of the office. He subsequently served as a senior staff attorney for the City Colleges of Chicago, handling primarily labor and employment matters. Mr. Raoul also has been a partner at two national law firms, serving in the health care and labor and employment practice groups.
In 2004, Mr. Raoul was appointed to serve as the state senator representing the 13th Legislative District, where he was subsequently re-elected on multiple occasions to represent the district. As a senator, Mr. Raoul led negotiations and sponsored legislation that eliminated the death penalty, required background checks on private gun transfers, and promoted law enforcement and criminal justice reform.
Mr. Raoul has been recognized for his work on behalf of survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence, which includes passage of the Safe Homes Act and the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights. He earned a bachelor’s degree from DePaul University and a juris doctorate from Chicago-Kent College of Law.