New York, NY - December 1, 2017 - Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced the appointment of Matthew Colangelo as the new Executive Deputy Attorney General for Social Justice.
“Throughout his extensive career, Matthew has focused on expanding equity and opportunity for all,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “I am pleased to welcome Matthew to our office, and am confident that, with his experience and leadership, the Social Justice Division will continue to lead in promoting equal justice for all New Yorkers.”
Matthew Colangelo said, “I am honored to join Attorney General Schneiderman’s team and to help advance his vision of leveling the playing field for everyone in New York. The mandate of the Social Justice Division could not be more important, and I am looking forward to working hard with this tremendous team to protect the rights of all New Yorkers.”
Mr. Colangelo is presently a Distinguished Lecturer at the Georgetown University Law Center. Before joining Georgetown, he spent seven years in the Obama Administration in senior roles related to civil rights and labor policy. He served most recently as a Deputy Assistant to President Obama and Deputy Director of the National Economic Council at the White House. Prior to that, he served as Chief of Staff to Department of Labor Secretary Tom Perez for three years, and as Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the Department of Justice.
While at the Department of Labor, Mr. Colangelo oversaw the development and implementation of key management and policy priorities, including retirement protections for working families, ex-offender reentry and criminal justice policies, and LGBT nondiscrimination.
While serving in the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, Mr. Colangelo led the Department’s litigation involving voting rights and nondiscrimination in federally funded programs. Among his significant matters at the Department of Justice, Mr. Colangelo argued for the United States at trial in Texas v. Holder, successfully blocking implementation of the state’s voter identification law.
Before joining the Obama Administration, Mr. Colangelo was the Director of the Economic Justice Group at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. His key cases at LDF included Lewis v. City of Chicago, challenging employment discrimination against black firefighter applicants; and Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center v. Louisiana Recovery Authority, challenging discriminatory housing redevelopment programs implemented after Hurricane Katrina. He previously served as a law clerk to then-Judge Sonia Sotomayor on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Former Executive Deputy Attorney General for Social Justice Alvin Bragg was appointed Chief Deputy Attorney General in September 2017. He will succeed Chief Deputy Jason Brown. As Chief Deputy, Mr. Bragg will oversee the Social Justice and Criminal divisions of the office. His counterpart, Chief Deputy Attorney General Janet Sabel, oversees the Economic Justice and State Counsel divisions.