Joseph Harold Hunt (born September 30, 1961) is an American lawyer. He was the

United States Assistant Attorney General Many of the divisions and offices of the United States Department of Justice are headed by an assistant attorney general. The president of the United States appoints individuals to the position of assistant attorney general with the advice and ...

for the Civil Division of the Department of Justice from September 2018 to July 2020.

Education

Hunt received his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

from

Samford University Samford University is a private Christian university in Homewood, Alabama. In 1841, the university was founded as Howard College by Baptists. Samford University describes itself as the 87th oldest institution of higher learning in the United Sta ...

in 1982, where he was the valedictorian. He earned a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

from

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...

in 1984, and a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked i ...

in 1989, where he was recognized as Best Oralist in the national phase of the

Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition The Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, also known as the Jessup Moot or The Jessup, is the oldest and largest international moot competition in the world, attracting participants from almost 700 law schools in more than 90 ...

Career

After graduating from law school, Hunt clerked for Judge James Hughes Hancock of the

United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama The United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama (in case citations, N.D. Ala.) is a federal court in the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, Eleventh Circuit (except for patent claims and claims again ...

Private practice

After clerking, Hunt worked for five years at

White & Case White & Case LLP is a global law firm based in New York City. Founded in 1901, the firm has 46 offices in 31 countries worldwide and has been ranked among the top ten firms worldwide by revenue. History The firm was launched on May 1, 1901 wh ...

as an associate, and four years at

King & Spalding King & Spalding LLP is an American international corporate law firm that is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia and with offices located in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. It has over 1,200 lawyers in 23 offices globally. It is Am ...

, where he became a partner.

U.S. Department of Justice

In 1999, Hunt joined the

United States Department of Justice Civil Division The United States Department of Justice Civil Division represents the United States, its departments and agencies, members of Congress A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official bod ...

's Federal Programs branch, where he was a trial attorney until 2002. From 2001 to 2002, Hunt was detailed to the Office of the

United States Deputy Attorney General The United States deputy attorney general is the second-highest-ranking official in the United States Department of Justice and oversees the day-to-day operation of the Department. The deputy attorney general acts as United States Attorney Gener ...

. In 2002, Hunt became Director of the Federal Programs Branch. After

Jeff Sessions Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III (born December 24, 1946) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 84th United States Attorney General from 2017 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as United State ...

became

United States Attorney General The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...

in February 2017, Hunt served as his chief of staff until October of that year. Hunt became a Senior Advisor to the

Office of Legal Policy The Office of Legal Policy (OLP) is a division within the United States Department of Justice which describes itself as the "focal point for the development and coordination of Departmental policy." In addition to rendering legal advice to the Un ...

in October 2017, in which capacity he remained September 2018.

Assistant Attorney General

On September 14, 2017, President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

announced his intent to nominate Hunt to become the

for the Civil Division. Hunt's nomination was sent to the Senate on December 11, 2017. The nomination was not acted upon, so on January 3, 2018, it was returned to the President under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

. Hunt was renominated on January 8, 2018, and had a confirmation hearing on March 7, 2018, before the

Senate Judiciary Committee The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, informally the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of 22 U.S. senators whose role is to oversee the Department of Justice (DOJ), consider executive and judicial nominations, a ...

. On April 19, 2018, Hunt's nomination was reported out of committee by an 18–3 vote. On August 28, 2018, the Senate voted to confirm him to head the Civil Division by a vote of 72–23. Hunt was sworn in on September 4, 2018. He oversaw the legal defense of Trump administration policies, as well as the general refusal to respond to Congressional oversight authority. Hunt declared that he would leave his position in early July 2020.

Samford University

On March 1, 2023, Hunt became general counsel of his alma mater, Samford University, in Birmingham, Alabama. He succeeded Clark Watson in the post.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunt, Joseph Harold 1961 births Living people 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American lawyers Columbia Law School alumni Florida State University alumni Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers Lawyers from Washington, D.C. People from Tupelo, Mississippi Samford University alumni Trump administration personnel United States Assistant Attorneys General for the Civil Division United States Department of Justice lawyers