Karl A. Racine

Attorney General of the District of Columbia

Attorney General Karl A. Racine brings over 25 years of experience as a practicing lawyer and good steward of leading law firms and organizations to the Office of the Attorney General.

As the Attorney General’s mission is to use the law to serve the people of the District of Columbia, Attorney General Racine advises the Executive Branch and other District agencies, defends the city in court, and protects the city’s residents. He has pledged to prioritize consumer protection, enforce affordable housing regulations, and find alternatives that can divert young people out of the juvenile justice system.

His commitment to equal justice was inspired by his parents, who fled authoritarian rule in Haiti, to start a new life in the US and by the attorneys of the civil rights movement who used the law to make positive social change.

Racine has deep and wide-ranging legal experience. He volunteered as a law student in a clinic supporting migrant farm worker’s rights; represented indigent residents in the DC Public Defender Service; practiced white-collar and commercial litigation with Cacheris & Treanor and Venable LLP; served as Associate White House Counsel in the Clinton Administration; and served on the District’s Judicial Nomination Commission. When Racine became Managing Partner at Venable LLP, where he managed over 600 attorneys, he became the first African-American managing partner of a top-100 law firm. The National Law Journal named Racine one of the 50 most influential Minority Lawyers in the United States.

A lifelong District resident, Racine attended Murch Elementary School, Deal Junior High, and Wilson High, and graduated from St. Johns College High School. He also played basketball in youth sports leagues across the city. Racine is deeply committed to the community, assembling what the Washington Post called “a rich record of community service” and remains involved in a variety of causes, including youth literacy and mentoring.

Racine earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Pennsylvania and his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.