Robert M. Duncan Jr. (born 1978) is an American attorney who serves as th
Kentucky Deputy Attorney General He previously served as the
United States Attorney in the
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky from 2017 to 2021.
Early life and education
Duncan was born in
Ashland, Kentucky and raised in
Inez, Kentucky along the Kentucky-West Virginia border. He is the son of
Mike Duncan, an attorney who is a former Chair and current member of the
Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service
The Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service is the governing body of the United States Postal Service (USPS). The board oversees the activities of the Postal Service, while the postmaster general actively manages its day-to-day o ...
and former Chair of the
Republican National Committee. He graduated from
Sheldon Clark High School
Sheldon Clark High School (SCHS) was a public high school in unincorporated Martin County, Kentucky, USA, near Inez. It was a part of the Martin County School System.
It was named after Martin County Schools Superintendent Sheldon Clark when bo ...
in 1996. In 2000 he graduated from
Centre College earning a B.A. in English and a minor in History. In 2003, Duncan received his J.D. from
University of Kentucky College of Law.
Career
After law school, Duncan served as a law clerk for
Henry Rupert Wilhoit Jr.
Henry Rupert Wilhoit Jr. (February 11, 1935 – September 12, 2022) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.
Education and career
Born in Ashland, Kentucky, Wilhoit received a ...
of the
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky. Duncan served as an
Assistant United States Attorney
An assistant United States attorney (AUSA) is an official career civil service position in the U.S. Department of Justice composed of lawyers working under the U.S. Attorney of each U.S. federal judicial district. They represent the federal gove ...
for the
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky from 2005 until 2017. Serving as an Assistant United States Attorney, he prosecuted complex drug trafficking, money laundering, firearms offenses, and violent crime. From 2007 to 2013, he served as coordinator of the Project Safe Neighborhoods Program and also served as the Professional Responsibility Officer for his office.
Duncan was nominated for
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky by President
Donald Trump on August 3, 2017, confirmed by the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
on November 9, 2017, and was sworn in by
Karen Caldwell, Chief Judge of the Eastern District of Kentucky, on November 21, 2017. He resigned on January 24, 2021.
It February 2021, it was announced that Duncan would enter the private sector becoming a partner at the
Dinsmore law firm in Lexington, Kentucky.
On November 14, 2023, Kentucky Attorney General-Elect Russell Coleman announced Duncan, who was a co-chair of his Transition Team, would serve as Deputy Attorney General.
References
External links
Biography at U.S. Department of Justice
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duncan, Robert M., Jr.
1978 births
Living people
Assistant United States Attorneys
Centre College alumni
Kentucky lawyers
People from Ashland, Kentucky
United States Attorneys for the Eastern District of Kentucky
University of Kentucky College of Law alumni
21st-century American lawyers