Karl Racine has pursued antitrust cases against companies like Facebook and Amazon and opened a civil investigation into the Archdiocese of Washington’s role in covering up allegations of the sexual abuse of minors by the clergy. He has forced negligent landlords to repair damaged buildings, helped children get out of foster care, held employers accountable for wage theft, and secured millions for consumers scammed by abusive business practices.
Racine is the first independently elected attorney general in the history of the District of Columbia. He is credited with transforming the office into one of the country’s most active attorney general offices, focusing on issues such as preserving affordable housing, promoting evidence-based juvenile justice reforms, and launching the nation’s first restorative justice program.
Racine was three years old when his family fled the Duvalier regime in Haiti (where his father had been the mayor of a small town), settling in Washington, D.C.
“I’ve always known that I’m an immigrant,” he said, “but I’ve also always known that eventually my father’s dream would be realized, and that is that his two kids would become naturalized citizens of the United States and would become full participants in the democracy that is the United States.”
The former captain of his college basketball team, Racine has worked as a public defender and as an associate White House counsel. He was also the first Black managing partner at a top 100 law firm. Racine was motivated to pursue a career in the law after learning about the history of the civil rights movement and the role that lawyers can play in helping the most vulnerable members of society.
“Once you have the opportunity to lead, seize it,” he said, “and always understand that you can actually impact fairness and equality and equity.”
