Sixtieth Commencement

 

Hakeem Jeffries is the Democratic Leader in the U.S. House of Representatives, the highest-ranking Democrat in the chamber. He represents New York's diverse Eighth Congressional District and was unanimously elected to his leadership position in November 2022.

A Brooklyn native, Jeffries is serving his seventh term in Congress where he has established himself as a tireless advocate for social and economic justice. He previously served as Chair of the Democratic Caucus and co-chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee.

Jeffries has been recognized as one of the most effective legislators in Congress, successfully passing numerous bipartisan bills into law. His legislative achievements include the landmark FIRST STEP Act, widely regarded as the most meaningful criminal justice reform in a generation, and the Music Modernization Act, which modernized copyright laws for the digital age.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, he worked across the aisle to secure billions in funding for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and fought to expand testing in hard-hit communities of color. Over the last four years, Jeffries has secured more than $56 million for projects in Brooklyn to provide food for the hungry, fund overdue improvements to medical centers, support organizations working to uplift our neighborhoods, deepen our cultural understanding and more through the Community Project Funding process.

In January 2020, Jeffries was appointed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi to serve as a House Impeachment Manager during the Senate trial of President Donald Trump, making history as the first African American man in this role.

Before his election to Congress, Jeffries served six years in the New York State Assembly where he authored laws to protect civil liberties, increase affordable housing and improve the civil court system. He led the first meaningful reform of the NYPD's stop-and-frisk program and championed legislation to end prison-based gerrymandering in New York State.

Jeffries graduated with honors from the State University of New York at Binghamton with a bachelor's degree in political science. He earned a master's degree in public policy from Georgetown University and received his law degree from New York University School of Law, where he graduated magna cum laude.

Following law school, Jeffries clerked for Judge Harold Baer Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and practiced law at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. He also served as counsel in the litigation department at Viacom Inc. and CBS.

Rep. Jeffries was born in Brooklyn Hospital, raised in Crown Heights and is a product of New York City’s public school system, having graduated from Midwood High School. He lives in Prospect Heights with his family.