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Stacey Elizabeth Plaskett (; born May 13, 1966) is an American politician, attorney, and commentator. She is the delegate to the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
from the
United States Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands,. Also called the ''American Virgin Islands'' and the ''U.S. Virgin Islands''. officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and an unincorporated and organized territory ...
' (USVI) at-large congressional district, since 2015. Plaskett has practiced law in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Prior to 2008, Plaskett was a member of the
Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa * Republican Party (Liberia) *Republican Party ...
, and was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve in the Civil Division of the United States Department of Justice. She switched to the Democratic Party in late 2008 because she believed it was a better place to have new ideas heard. She served as a House manager during the
second impeachment trial of Donald Trump The second impeachment trial of Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States, began on February 9, 2021, and concluded with his acquittal on February 13. Trump had been impeached for the second time by the House of Representatives ...
, the first non-voting member of the House of Representatives to do so.


Early life and education

Plaskett was born on May 13, 1966, 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 * '' ...
and grew up in the
Bushwick Bushwick is a neighborhood in the northern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bounded by the neighborhood of Ridgewood, Queens, to the northeast; Williamsburg to the northwest; East New York and the cemeteries of Highland Pa ...
, New York, housing projects. Her parents are both from Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands; Her father was a
New York City Police Department The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act i ...
officer and her mother a clerk in the
court system A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accorda ...
. Her family regularly traveled to Saint Croix during her childhood, so she became familiar with island traditions and culture. Her parents' home in New York was often home for students and other recent migrants moving to the mainland from the Virgin Islands. She attended
Brooklyn Friends School Brooklyn Friends School is a school at 375 Pearl Street in Downtown Brooklyn, New York City. Brooklyn Friends School (BFS) is an independent, college preparatory Quaker school serving a culturally diverse educational community of approximately 90 ...
(a Quaker school) and Grace Lutheran Elementary. She was recruited by A Better Chance, Inc. a non-profit organization recruiting minority students to selective secondary schools. She was a boarding student at
Choate Rosemary Hall Choate Rosemary Hall (often known as Choate; ) is a private, co-educational, college-preparatory boarding school in Wallingford, Connecticut, United States. Choate is currently ranked as the second best boarding school and third best private hig ...
, where she was a varsity athlete and served as class president for several years. Plaskett spent a term abroad in
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
during her enrollment at Choate. She often states that Choate awakened her commitment to public service and a deep sense of responsibility to others through the biblical verse "to whom much is given; much is required". She was one of few black students while she attended the school. In 1988, she graduated with a degree in history and diplomacy from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at
Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private research university in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll in 1789 as Georgetown College, the university has grown to comprise eleven undergraduate and graduate ...
. Plaskett ran for student government at Georgetown under a progressive student ticket and was very active in the Anti-Apartheid Movement. As a student she spoke on behalf of universities in the DC area at the
General Assembly of the United Nations The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...
. She received her J.D. degree from American University Washington College of Law in 1994. She attended law school at night while she worked full-time during the day with the lobbying arm of the
American Medical Association The American Medical Association (AMA) is a professional association and lobbying group of physicians and medical students. Founded in 1847, it is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Membership was approximately 240,000 in 2016. The AMA's sta ...
and then with the law firm,
Jones Day Jones Day is an American multinational law firm. As of 2021, it was the eighth largest law firm in the U.S. and the 13th highest grossing law firm in the world. Originally headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Jones Day ranks first in both M&A le ...
. In law school she studied constitutional law under her future colleague, Representative
Jamie Raskin Jamin Ben Raskin (born December 13, 1962) is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Maryland's 8th congressional district since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the Maryland State Senate fro ...
of Maryland.


Career

After graduating from law school, Plaskett accepted a position as an
assistant district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a lo ...
in
the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...
, New York, under Robert T. Johnson. She prosecuted several hundred cases, including in the Narcotics Bureau. She then worked as a consultant and legal counsel focused on internal corporate investigations and strategy for the Mitchell Madison Group. She moved to Washington, D.C., and worked as counsel on the Republican-led US House of Representatives, Committee on Standards of Official Conduct; now known as the House Committee on Ethics or simply the Ethics Committee. She left the Committee when she was asked by mentor and fellow trustee at Choate, Robert McCallum to work at the
United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United Stat ...
as a political appointee of then-President George W. Bush. Plaskett accepted the offer and served as counsel for the assistant attorney general for the DOJ Civil Division, and also as acting deputy assistant attorney general for the Torts Branch in the Civil Division. She then joined the staff of Deputy Attorney General
Larry Thompson Larry Dean Thompson (born November 15, 1945) is an American lawyer and law professor, most notable for his service as deputy Attorney General of the United States under United States President George W. Bush until August 2003. Early life and ...
, primarily working on the Justice Honors program and an initiative to increase the number of minority and women attorneys at the Justice Department. While in the Justice Civil Division, she also worked on the Terrorism Litigation Task Force, the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund and '' United States v. Philip Morris'', the case against several major tobacco companies for violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) by engaging in a conspiracy to deceive the public about the health effects of smoking. After Larry Thompson resigned, Plaskett joined the staff of his successor James Comey. She later left government service to become a deputy general counsel at
UnitedHealth Group UnitedHealth Group Incorporated is an American multinational managed healthcare and insurance company based in Minnetonka, Minnesota. It offers health care products and insurance services. UnitedHealth Group is the world's seventh largest ...
. There, she worked in the Americhoice division, handling legal work related to
Medicaid Medicaid in the United States is a federal and state program that helps with healthcare costs for some people with limited income and resources. Medicaid also offers benefits not normally covered by Medicare, including nursing home care and per ...
and Medicare programs. She then moved to the Virgin Islands, where she worked in private practice and from 2007 to 2014 served as general counsel for the Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority, charged with the economic development of the U.S. territory. Plaskett switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party in late-2008. She was initiated into
Delta Sigma Theta Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. () is a List of African-American fraternities, historically African American Fraternities and sororities, sorority. The organization was founded by college-educated women dedicated to public service with an emph ...
sorority in 2019.


U.S. House of Representatives


Elections


2012

In 2012, Plaskett challenged nine-term delegate Donna Christian-Christensen in the Democratic Party primary. Plaskett was unsuccessful, receiving 42.49% of the vote to Christian-Christensen's 57.48%.


2014

In 2014, Plaskett ran for the office again, after formally declaring her candidacy in November 2013. In the Democratic Primary held on August 2, she faced Shawn-Micheal Malone, a Virgin Islands Senator, and Senate President, and Emmett Hansen, a former Virgin Islands Senator and Former chair of the
Democratic Party of the Virgin Islands The Democratic Party of the Virgin Islands is a political party in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and is affiliated with the Democratic Party at the nationwide level. It won the gubernatorial elections of 2018 when its candidate Albert Bryan was el ...
. She received 50.4% of the vote to Malone's 41.61% and Hansen's 7.92%. She later faced Republican Vince Danet in the General Election held on November 4. She received over 90% of the vote.


2016

Plaskett was challenged in the Democratic Party Primary by former Virgin Islands Senator Ronald Russell. She defeated Russell in the primary with 85.48% of the vote to his 14.04%. In the general election, she faced Republican Gordon Ackley, an Air Force veteran and business owner, who ran as a write-in candidate. She won the election in a landslide, garnering almost 98% of the vote.


2018

Plaskett won re-election unopposed in both the Democratic primary and the general election.


2020

Plaskett won re-election, defeating independent candidate Shekema George with 88.09% of the vote.


Impeachment manager

On January 12, 2021, Plaskett was named as a House impeachment manager for the
second impeachment of Donald Trump Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States, was impeached for the second time on January 13, 2021, one week before his term expired. It was the fourth impeachment of a U.S. president, and the second for Trump after his first imp ...
in response to the storming of the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021. During the
trial In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribun ...
on February 10, 2021, she was introduced by lead impeachment manager
Jamie Raskin Jamin Ben Raskin (born December 13, 1962) is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Maryland's 8th congressional district since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the Maryland State Senate fro ...
of Maryland, her former constitutional law professor, who said she was "an 'A' student then and she is an 'A+' student now".


Committee assignments

;117th Congress * Committee on Agriculture ** Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture and Research (Chair) ** Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy and Credit ** Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture * Committee on the Budget *
Committee on Ways and Means The Committee on Ways and Means is the chief tax-writing committee of the United States House of Representatives. The committee has jurisdiction over all taxation, tariffs, and other revenue-raising measures, as well as a number of other program ...
** Subcommittee on Oversight ** Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures ;Past memberships * Committee on Agriculture ** Subcommittee on Nutrition ** Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture *
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform The Committee on Oversight and Reform is the main investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. The committee's broad jurisdiction and legislative authority make it one of the most influential and powerful panels in the ...
** Subcommittee on Government Operations ** Subcommittee on Interior


Caucus memberships

* New Democrat Coalition (Leadership Member) *
Congressional Black Caucus The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) is a caucus made up of most African-American members of the United States Congress. Representative Karen Bass from California chaired the caucus from 2019 to 2021; she was succeeded by Representative Joyce B ...
*
Climate Solutions Caucus The Climate Solutions Caucus is a bipartisan caucus of U.S. legislators supported by the Citizens' Climate Lobby whose members work to achieve action addressing the risks from climate change. The House of Representatives and Senate each have a c ...


Personal life

Plaskett is married to Jonathan Buckney Small, a community activist and former professional tennis player. She has five children, four of them with Andre Duffy, her previous husband. She has served on numerous non-profit boards focused primarily on education, culture, and community development. Plaskett is
Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...
.


See also

* List of African-American United States representatives * Women in the United States House of Representatives


References


External links


Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett
official U.S. House website
Plaskett for Congress
campaign website * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Plaskett, Stacey 1966 births 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians African-American lawyers African-American members of the United States House of Representatives African-American people in United States Virgin Island politics African-American women in politics African-American women lawyers American women lawyers Choate Rosemary Hall alumni Delegates to the United States House of Representatives from the United States Virgin Islands Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from the United States Virgin Islands Democratic Party of the Virgin Islands politicians Female members of the United States House of Representatives Georgetown University alumni Living people Politicians from Brooklyn United States Virgin Islands lawyers United States Virgin Islands women in politics Washington College of Law alumni Brooklyn Friends School alumni People from Bushwick, Brooklyn American people of United States Virgin Islands descent 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women House managers for the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump