Rachael S. Rollins Confirmed as United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts

BOSTON – The United States Senate has confirmed Rachael S. Rollins as the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. Ms. Rollins is the first Black woman to ever be confirmed as U.S. Attorney in the District.

She was nominated by President Joseph R. Biden on July 26, 2021. The District of Massachusetts is one of the oldest United States Attorney’s Offices in the country.

“I am truly humbled by today’s confirmation and deeply honored to have the support and confidence of President Biden, Vice President Harris, Senate Majority Leader Schumer, Senate Judiciary Chair Durbin, and my Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey.

I have dedicated much of my career to public service and as I prepare to assume the role of Massachusetts’s chief federal law enforcement officer, I look forward to continuing to serve this great nation.

Leading the U.S. Attorney’s Office is a profound honor, and I pledge to serve with continued zeal and passion for justice,” said Ms. Rollins in response to her confirmation.

“Being the DA has been the highlight of my professional career. I am profoundly grateful to the people of Suffolk County. They put their faith in me and I have worked hard every day to improve the relationship between law enforcement and the communities most impacted by violence and harm.

I am proud that Boston remains one of the only major cities in the United States where violent crime, including homicides, is down. As United States Attorney, I will continue to work with my law enforcement and community partners to ensure this trend continues and expands across all of Massachusetts.”

A Massachusetts native and an attorney for more than two decades, Ms. Rollins has served as Suffolk County District Attorney (DA) since 2019. She was the first woman to ever be elected DA in Suffolk County and the first woman of color to ever hold the position of DA in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Prior to serving as Suffolk County DA, Ms. Rollins was the General Counsel for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. She also served as Chief Legal Counsel to the Massachusetts Port Authority.

From 2007 to 2011, Ms. Rollins was an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts serving in both the Civil and Criminal Divisions. Earlier in her career, Ms. Rollins was an attorney at Bingham McCutchen LLP, focusing on matters involving complex civil litigation and criminal defense, and from 1999 to 2002 she was a field attorney for the National Labor Relations Board where she investigated unfair labor practices and upheld workers’ rights.

Ms. Rollins began her legal career as a clerk for Associate Judge Frederick L. Brown of the Massachusetts Appeals Court.

Ms. Rollins earned a Juris Doctor from Northeastern University School of Law and a Masters in Law from Georgetown University Law Center. She graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1994.