Trent McCotter

Trent McCotter is the acting deputy attorney general at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, DC. He took on the role in August 2026 and oversees lawyers and staff in the Office of the Deputy Attorney General. His work draws on experience in federal litigation, appellate advocacy, and Justice Department leadership. Before returning to the department in 2026, he held government and private practice roles involving significant legal disputes.

Trent earned a BA in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2008, graduating summa cum laude. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 2011, graduating magna cum laude. In law school, he served as an articles editor of the North Carolina Law Review and received eight awards for earning the highest grade in a class. He later clerked for judges on the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second and Eleventh Circuits.

Trent previously served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia, counsel in the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Policy, and deputy associate attorney general. In the latter role, he oversaw branches responsible for defending major litigation against the federal government. He also worked in private practice as a co-managing partner. His appellate experience includes arguments before federal courts of appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court, where he argued a case in 2025.

Trent McCotter received the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service for his work as a federal trial attorney. His career spans trial litigation, appeals, legal policy, and management within the Justice Department. That range of experience informs his work leading the Office of the Deputy Attorney General and addressing legal matters at the federal level.

Law Office Affiliations

• Acting Deputy Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice
• Member, State Bar of Texas
• Member, District of Columbia Bar Association
• Member, North Carolina State Bar
• Member, Virginia State Bar

Licensed State

• Texas
• District of Columbia
• North Carolina
• Virginia

Education

• University of North Carolina School of Law
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  BA in Economics