Professional Background:
Has been 42nd Attorney General of Illinois since 2019.
Raoul represented the 13th district in the Illinois Senate from 2004 to 2019. Initially appointed to fill the seat vacated by Barack Obama when Obama was elected to the U.S. Senate, Raoul won subsequent election and reelection. He served as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Vice Chair of the Senate Criminal Law Committee, and as a member of the Executive, Gaming, Insurance and Public Health Committees.
A progressive social reformer whose work led to the passage of laws expanding access to early voting in Illinois, and the state’s Low Income Energy Assistance Program and a crackdown on the Pay Day loan industry. He has successfully advanced legislation promoting civil justice, early childhood education, domestic violence prevention and political reform. He has also sponsored bills supporting the improvement and expansion of early childhood education and preschool programs and backed legislation aimed at easing the reintegration of ex-offenders into the community.
Other criminal justice reform initiatives include abolition of the death penalty and legislation creating the Torture Inquiry Commission. He also championed legislation aimed at breaking the code of silence by deterring intimidation of those who cooperate with law enforcement officers.
Education: Raoul earned his B.A. degree in political science from DePaul University and went on to receive his J.D. degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Personal: Raoul was born in Chicago to Haitian immigrant parents Dr. Janin and Marie Therese Raoul. Raoul’s partner is Lisa Moore and he has 2 children.
Read more about Kwame Raoul in this profile in Politico.