Jeffrey A. Rosen

Jeffrey A. Rosen is an American attorney who has held several high‑level positions within the federal government, most notably as acting United States Attorney General from late December 2020 to early January 2021 and as Deputy Attorney General from 2019 to 2020. Prior to his service in the Department of Justice, he served as Deputy Secretary of Transportation under President Donald Trump and as general counsel for the Department of Transportation during the George W. Bush administration. Rosen’s career also spans nearly three decades at the private law firm Kirkland & Ellis, where he became a partner at age 30 and later returned to practice after his public‑service stints.

Early life and career

Rosen was born in 1958 into a Jewish family in Boston and grew up in Brockton, Massachusetts. He attended Brockton High School, where he served as editor of the school newspaper. Although his parents did not attend college, they encouraged him to pursue higher education. Rosen earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Northwestern University in 1979, having also been elected president of the student council during his senior year. He then graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School with a Juris Doctor in 1982; classmates included future U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and other prominent legal figures.

Immediately after law school, Rosen joined Kirkland & Ellis as an associate in its Washington, D.C., office. By 1988 he had become a partner at the firm, a milestone reached when he was only thirty years old. Over the next decade, he held various management positions and was elected to the firm’s global management committee in 1999. His litigation work involved complex business cases for major corporations such as General Motors, AOL, Netscape, and Marriott.

In 2003 Rosen departed Kirkland & Ellis to enter federal service. He returned to the firm in 2009, continuing his legal practice until 2017 when he was nominated for a senior government post. Throughout this period, he also contributed to academia; from 1996 through 2003 he taught professional responsibility (legal ethics) as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center. In 2015–16 he served as elected chair of the American Bar Association’s Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice.

Rosen has been a member of the American Law Institute since 1996, reflecting his long‑standing engagement with legal scholarship and professional standards.

Cabinet tenure

#### Department of Transportation (2003–2006)

In 2003, after unanimous confirmation by the Senate, Rosen was appointed general counsel for the United States Department of Transportation. In that capacity he oversaw a staff of more than four hundred lawyers and participated in senior management decisions within a department whose budget approached $60 billion. His responsibilities included leading regulatory‑reform initiatives aimed at achieving policy objectives more efficiently and cost‑effectively. During 2005–06 he also served as the government’s representative on the Amtrak Board of Directors, and he testified before Congress on numerous matters related to transportation policy.

#### Office of Management and Budget (2006–2009)

Rosen moved to the White House Office of Management and Budget in 2006, where he served as general counsel and senior policy advisor until 2009. Reporting to Budget Director Rob Portman, he assisted with agency budgets and appropriations and advised on regulatory issues and executive orders. He published a journal article titled “Putting Regulators on a Budget.” In that role he expressed concerns about what he described as regulatory overreach and opposed certain environmental regulations proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency.

#### Deputy Secretary of Transportation (2017–2019)

In February 2017, President Trump announced Rosen’s nomination for United States Deputy Secretary of Transportation. After Senate Democrats voiced resistance to many senior nominees, Rosen was confirmed on May 16, 2017, with a vote of 56–42. He served under Secretary Elaine Chao, who had previously held the position of Secretary of Labor.

#### Department of Justice (2019–2021)

Rosen entered the Department of Justice in May 2019 as Deputy Attorney General. In this role he assisted the Attorney General in overseeing the department’s operations and policy initiatives. On December 24, 2020, following the departure of the incumbent Attorney General, Rosen became acting United States Attorney General. He served in that capacity until January 20, 2021, when a new administration took office.

#### Post‑Justice Department roles

After leaving the Justice Department, Rosen continued to engage in public service and policy work. In July 2021 he joined the American Enterprise Institute as a nonresident fellow. In May 2022 he was appointed chair of Virginia’s Commission to Combat Antisemitism; the commission released its report in December 2022.

Legacy

Rosen’s career reflects a blend of private‑sector legal practice, academic contribution, and extensive public service at some of the nation’s most influential federal agencies. His early work as general counsel for the Department of Transportation established him as an experienced regulator and policy advisor, while his tenure in the Office of Management and Budget showcased his focus on fiscal responsibility and regulatory scrutiny. As Deputy Attorney General and acting Attorney General, he oversaw key operations within the Department of Justice during a period of transition between presidential administrations.

Beyond his executive roles, Rosen has maintained active participation in legal scholarship and professional organizations. His long‑standing membership with the American Law Institute and leadership positions within the American Bar Association demonstrate a sustained commitment to shaping legal standards and administrative practice. The appointment to chair Virginia’s Commission to Combat Antisemitism further underscores his engagement with issues of civil rights and community protection.

Overall, Rosen’s contributions span litigation, regulatory reform, budgetary oversight, and executive governance, marking him as a significant figure in the administration of federal law and policy over several decades.