Wikipedia

James M. McDonald

James Michael McDonald (born 1982) is an American attorney.

James M. McDonald
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York
Nominee
Assuming office
PresidentDonald Trump
SucceedingJay Clayton
Personal details
BornJames Michael McDonald
1982 (age 43–44)
Spouse
Maria Carlo
​
(m. 2014)​
Education

Early life and education (1982–2007)

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James Michael McDonald[1] was born in 1982.[1][2] McDonald's father was a founding partner at McDonald, McCann, Metcalf & Carwile, a law firm in Tulsa, Oklahoma.[1] McDonald graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa in 2000.[3] He graduated from Harvard University[4] and from the University of Virginia School of Law with a Juris Doctor.[1]

Career

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Early work (2009–2014)

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McDonald clerked for Chief Justice John Roberts from 2009 to 2010.[5] He worked in the Office of White House Counsel as the deputy associate counsel in the Bush administration[6] and as an associate at Williams & Connolly.[5] In February 2014, McDonald married Maria Isabel Carlo in San Juan, Puerto Rico.[1]

Assistant U.S. attorney (2014–2017)

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In 2014, McDonald became an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.[7] He was involved in the prosecution of former New York State Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver.[8]

Commodity Futures Trading Commission (2017–2020)

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In March 2017, J. Christopher Giancarlo, the acting chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, named McDonald as the director of the commission's enforcement division.[7] He began serving in the position the following month.[5] As the director, McDonald led the commission's first non-prosecution agreements and indicated that he intended to intensify their use.[9] He resigned in October 2020.[2]

Sullivan & Cromwell (2021–present)

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In December 2020, Sullivan & Cromwell announced that it had hired McDonald to work on securities, commodities, and derivatives enforcement. He began serving in the position the following month.[10] After FTX, a cryptocurrency exchange, declared bankruptcy, the company hired McDonald and Steven Peikin, the former co-director of the Securities and Exchange Commission's enforcement division, to investigate its collapse.[11] In April 2023, Coinbase hired several former federal officials, including McDonald, in its defense against a lawsuit by the Securities and Exchange Commission.[12] McDonald served as one of President Donald Trump's personal lawyers in his appeal to overturn his conviction in the hush-money case.[13] He additionally represented Live Nation, Polymarket,[14] and the billionaire Gautam Adani.[15]

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York nomination

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After Donald Trump announced that he would nominate Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, as the director of national intelligence in June 2026, McDonald was among several possible candidates to succeed Clayton.[16] On June 13, Trump announced that he would appoint McDonald to serve as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.[17]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Maria Carlo and James McDonald". The New York Times. February 9, 2014. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  2. 1 2 Michaels, Dave (October 2, 2020). "Top Wall Street Derivatives Cop to Step Down". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Booker T. Washington High School". Tulsa World. May 3, 2000. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Carlo-McDonald". Tulsa World. February 9, 2014. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 Freifeld, Karen; Lynch, Sarah (March 15, 2017). "CFTC to tap New York prosecutor to head enforcement unit". Reuters. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  6. ↑ Hussein, Fatima; Tucker, Eric (June 13, 2026). "Trump names James M. McDonald to lead powerful New York federal prosecutor's office". Associated Press. Archived from the original on June 14, 2026. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  7. 1 2 Robinson, Matt; Berthelsen, Christian; Bain, Ben (March 15, 2017). "Federal Prosecutor Said to Be Pick for CFTC Enforcement Chief". Bloomberg Law. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  8. ↑ Weiser, Benjamin (June 13, 2026). "At End of Sheldon Silver's Corruption Trial, the 'Law Guys' Take Over". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 26, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  9. ↑ Hill, Richard (June 30, 2017). "Citigroup Trader Non-Prosecution Pact Signals New CFTC Tactic". Bloomberg Law. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  10. ↑ Beyoud, Lydia (December 9, 2020). "Sullivan & Cromwell Hires CFTC's Former Top Enforcer McDonald". Bloomberg Law. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  11. ↑ Sun, Mengqi (November 23, 2022). "FTX Hires Ex-Regulators to Investigate Firm's Collapse". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on November 23, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  12. ↑ Wise, Justin (April 28, 2023). "Coinbase Taps Scalia, Top Former Federal Enforcers in SEC Fight". Bloomberg Law. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  13. ↑ Bromwich, Jonah (January 29, 2025). "As Establishment Warms to Trump, Elite Law Firm Takes On His Appeal". The New York Times. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  14. ↑ Haberman, Maggie; Weiser, Benjamin; Feuer, Alan (June 13, 2026). "Trump Again Picks Personal Lawyer for a Top Job, as U.S. Attorney in Manhattan". The New York Times. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  15. ↑ Faulders, Katherine; Katersky, Aaron; Charalambous, Peter (June 13, 2026). "Trump taps former commodities regulator, ex-personal attorney as US attorney for Southern District of New York". ABC News. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  16. ↑ Orden, Erica (June 12, 2026). "Prosecutors 'on pins and needles' awaiting Jay Clayton's replacement". Politico. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Trump names James McDonald as US attorney for Manhattan". Reuters. June 13, 2026. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
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