Acting Attorney General Barbara Underwood will remain in the top post until the end of the year, the state senate and Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Tuesday.
Underwood took over as attorney general after Eric Schneiderman resigned earlier in May amid allegations of physical abuse against several women. Underwood was previously the state solicitor general and is the first woman to hold the office in New York.
“It is a tremendous honor,” Underwood said in a statement. “I’ve served in many roles in government throughout my career. But I believe this job — at this moment in history — is the most important job I have ever had.”
In a statement released Tuesday, Cuomo said Underwood is “a brilliant legal mind and an extraordinarily qualified attorney who has argued 20 cases before the Supreme Court, and she will provide strong leadership and important continuity in the office of Attorney General during these challenging times.”
State Senate Majority Leader John J. Flanagan (R-East Northport) commended Underwood’s “willingness to serve the people of New York” and said she “has an outstanding resume and I have absolute confidence she will continue to ably lead this office for the remainder of the year.”
