Eric Gonzalez (born January 24, 1969) is an American attorney who is currently serving as the
district attorney for Kings County in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
. Gonzalez became the acting district attorney in October 2016 after his predecessor,
Kenneth P. Thompson
Kenneth P. Thompson (March 14, 1966 – October 9, 2016) was an American lawyer who served as the District Attorney of Brooklyn, Kings County, New York, from 2014 until his death from cancer on October 9, 2016.
Early life and education
Kenneth ...
, died shortly after announcing that he was stepping down to be treated for cancer. He had previously served as the chief assistant district attorney under Thompson.
In November 2017, Gonzalez defeated five other candidates in the Democratic primary, all but assuring him of a full term. In November 2021, he was elected to another four-year term (through January 2026) garnering 98.8% of the vote in an uncontested election.
Early life and education
Gonzalez grew up in the neighborhoods of
East New York
East New York is a residential neighborhood in the eastern section of the borough of Brooklyn in New York City, United States. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise, are roughly the Cemetery Belt and the Queens borough lin ...
and
Williamsburg in Brooklyn. He attended
John Dewey High School
John Dewey High School is a public school in Gravesend, Brooklyn, New York City. It was founded and based on the educational principles of John Dewey. The school, under the supervision of the New York City Department of Education, was named a Ne ...
in
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsular neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, Manhattan Beach to its east, L ...
and graduated from
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...
in 1992 with a bachelor's in government and history. In 1995, he received his
J.D. degree from the
University of Michigan Law School
The University of Michigan Law School (Michigan Law) is the law school of the University of Michigan, a Public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1859, the school offers Master of Laws (LLM), Master of C ...
, where he was president of the Latino Law Students Association.
Career
District attorney's office
Gonzalez began his legal career as an assistant district attorney in the Kings County District Attorney's Office immediately after graduating law school in 1995. He served several years as a junior and then senior assistant in different bureaus, including the Sex Crimes and Special Victims Bureau, Domestic Violence Bureau, Orange Trial Zone Bureau, and Green Trial Zone Bureau.
Gonzalez was promoted to supervisory positions in the Green Trial Zone, which consists of the 60th, 61st, 70th, 71st, and 72nd precincts in Brooklyn. In 2011, he became the Executive Assistant District Attorney of the Green Trial Zone, and in March 2014 he was promoted to the position of Counsel to the District Attorney, where he guided the launch of several of District Attorney
Kenneth P. Thompson
Kenneth P. Thompson (March 14, 1966 – October 9, 2016) was an American lawyer who served as the District Attorney of Brooklyn, Kings County, New York, from 2014 until his death from cancer on October 9, 2016.
Early life and education
Kenneth ...
's initiatives, including the creation of the Conviction Review Unit and the policy regarding the non-prosecution of many low-level marijuana possession cases. In October 2014, he was appointed chief assistant district attorney by Thompson.
Acting district attorney
On October 4, 2016, Thompson announced that he had been suffering from an undisclosed type of cancer and that he was selecting Gonzalez to serve as acting district attorney while he sought treatment. Thompson died just five days later. On October 17,
New York governor
The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a ...
Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Mark Cuomo ( ; ; born December 6, 1957) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected to the same position that his father, Mario Cuo ...
announced that he was not appointing an interim district attorney or calling a special election despite a push to replace Gonzalez with Public Advocate
Letitia James
Letitia Ann James (born October 18, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician. She is a member of the Democratic Party and the current Attorney General of New York, having won the 2018 election to succeed appointed Attorney General Barbara Und ...
, stating his desire that "
he district attorney'swork
ontinuewithout interruption or delay."
Election
At the next year's election, Gonzalez won a six-way Democratic primary with 53% of the vote on September 12, 2017. He was elected in November 2017 with no Republican candidate opposing him, and was sworn in on January 21, 2018. He is the first
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
to serve as district attorney in New York.
Professional affiliations and awards
Gonzalez is a member of the
Puerto Rican Bar Association
The Puerto Rican Bar Association (PRBA) is a voluntary association of lawyers of Puerto Rican ethnicity or interest. It is to be distinguished from the Bar Association of Puerto Rico or ''Colegio de Abogados de Puerto Rico'', which is the bar as ...
and is also on the Board of Directors of the Kings County Criminal Bar Association. In December 2016, he was given an award by the Bridge Multicultural Project in Brooklyn for promoting multicultural unity. In October 2017, he was honored by the Cervantes Society of the New York Unified Court System.
He is a Cub scout den leader.
Family and personal life
Gonzalez lives in Brooklyn with his wife and three sons.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzalez, Eric
1969 births
Cornell University alumni
John Dewey High School alumni
Kings County District Attorneys
Living people
New York (state) Democrats
People from East New York, Brooklyn
People from Williamsburg, Brooklyn
University of Michigan Law School alumni