Steven G. Bradbury

Steven Gill Bradbury is an American attorney who has served in several high‑level positions within the United States federal government, most notably as the 14th Deputy Secretary of Transportation beginning in 2025 and briefly as Acting Secretary of Transportation during the final weeks of the Trump administration in early 2021. His career spans private practice, judicial clerkships, and senior roles in both the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel and the Department of Transportation.

Early life and career

Bradbury was born on September 12, 1958, in Portland, Oregon. He grew up as the youngest of four children in the Sunnyside neighborhood, where he attended Washington High School and served as student body president during his senior year. His father, Edward T. Bradbury, passed away when Steven was an infant; his mother supported the family through night work and laundry services while relying on Social Security income.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Stanford University in 1980, becoming the first member of his family to graduate from college. After a period working in publishing and as a legal assistant in New York City during the early 1980s, Bradbury entered law school at the University of Michigan. He graduated magna cum laude with a Juris Doctor in 1988, served as an editor for the Michigan Law Review, and was inducted into the Order of the Coif. In October 1988 he married Hilde Kahn, a fellow law student.

Bradbury’s early legal career began at Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C., where he worked as an associate from 1988 to 1990. He then clerked for Judge James L. Buckley on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (1990–1991). Following a brief stint as an Attorney‑Adviser in the Office of Legal Counsel (1991–1992), he served as a law clerk to Justice Clarence Thomas on the Supreme Court of the United States from 1992 to 1993.

After completing his clerkships, Bradbury joined Kirkland & Ellis in Washington, D.C. He became an associate in 1993 and was promoted to partner in 1994, a position he held until 2004. During this decade, he focused on antitrust matters—including mergers and litigation—securities law (class action litigation and regulatory investigations), and a range of regulatory, constitutional, and commercial litigation issues at both trial and appellate levels. In 1998, his work was recognized when Washingtonian named him one of the top 40 lawyers under 40.

Cabinet tenure

In April 2004, Bradbury left private practice to accept an appointment as Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) under then‑Assistant Attorney General Jack Goldsmith. He became Acting Assistant Attorney General in February 2005 and was nominated by President George W. Bush on June 23, 2005 to serve as Assistant Attorney General for the OLC. During his tenure in the OLC, he issued a series of legal opinions that authorized certain interrogation techniques used in the post‑9/11 era; these opinions were later described publicly as providing legal authorization for waterboarding and other enhanced interrogation methods. His nomination was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in November 2005 but did not receive a full Senate vote due to holds placed by four Democratic senators, who cited concerns over his memoranda regarding interrogation practices and questions about his involvement with NSA warrantless surveillance programs. The nomination was returned to the President under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 at the end of 2005, and subsequent attempts to renominate him in 2006, 2007, and 2008 were likewise unsuccessful.

Bradbury’s transition to the Department of Transportation began with his nomination by President Donald Trump in June 2017 to serve as General Counsel. The Senate confirmed him on November 14 2017 by a vote of 50–47. On September 10 2019, he was authorized to perform the functions and duties of the Office of the Deputy Secretary of Transportation as Acting Deputy Secretary; this authority was made permanent when his title was changed on December 21 2020 to remove the “acting” designation while he continued in those responsibilities.

Following the resignation of Secretary Elaine Chao on January 7 2021, Bradbury assumed the role of Acting Secretary of Transportation on January 12 2021. He served in that capacity until the transition to the next administration on January 20 2021. After leaving the Department of Transportation, he was appointed as a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation from 2022 through 2025, where he contributed to Project 2025.

In 2025, Bradbury returned to the Department of Transportation in a new capacity, becoming the 14th Deputy Secretary of Transportation under the current administration. In this role, he oversees the department’s operations and policy implementation across its various agencies.

Legacy

Steven G. Bradbury’s career reflects extensive experience at the intersection of law, government policy, and executive branch administration. His progression from private practice to senior legal positions within the Department of Justice and later the Department of Transportation illustrates a trajectory marked by repeated appointments to roles that shape national legal frameworks and transportation policy. Through his service as General Counsel and Deputy Secretary, he has been involved in guiding the department’s legal strategy and operational oversight during periods of significant transition. His tenure as Acting Secretary of Transportation placed him at the helm of the agency for a brief but pivotal period at the end of an administration.

Beyond his official duties, Bradbury’s contributions to policy discussions continued through his fellowship at the Heritage Foundation, where he engaged with strategic initiatives aimed at shaping future transportation and infrastructure planning. His career path exemplifies the professional journey of a lawyer who has moved from private practice into influential roles within federal agencies, impacting both legal interpretation and administrative governance in the United States.