Brian L. Schwalb

Where Schwalb stands

Topic headings are Vote Book’s; quoted words are each candidate’s own, with the source under each one. “As reported” items are a news outlet’s description, not an exact quote.

Crime & public safety

What are your ideas for improving outcomes for youth in the justice system?

Improving outcomes for justice-involved youth requires swift accountability and effective support. As Attorney General, I have prosecuted violent juvenile offenses while also working to address root causes of crime, including housing instability, unmet mental health needs, and lack of opportunity. I proposed the ROAD Act (unanimously passed by the DC Council) to ensure that youth committed to DYRS receive timely services that reduce recidivism and improve long-term outcomes. I have also established prevention initiatives such as the “Leaders of Tomorrow” grants and the #FutureMeDC social media campaign aimed at promoting safe and healthy choices. Healthy, hopeful young people are less likely to engage in crime and more likely to succeed.

To this point, do you have further thoughts on the justice system?

An effective justice system promotes both accountability and fairness, and it advances both immediate and long term public safety. In DC, the elected Attorney General has jurisdiction over juvenile offenses and certain adult misdemeanors, while most adult crimes (felonies and misdemeanors) are prosecuted by the federal U.S. Attorney who is not accountable to DC voters. I believe DC residents should be able to hold their chief prosecutor accountable at the ballot box. Expanding local prosecutorial authority would improve transparency, strengthen trust, and allow a more coordinated approach that addresses root causes of crime while ensuring swift and certain consequences when the law is broken.

Jobs, wages & cost of living

As AG, what would be your top 2 priorities? How would you address them?

My top two priorities in a second term as Attorney General will be to continue the work of protecting DC residents and safeguarding DC’s autonomy. I will remain focused on enforcing DC’s public safety laws as well as our laws protecting consumers, seniors, workers, tenants, and the environment. And, I will continue defending DC’s autonomy by challenging unlawful federal interference and ensuring DC laws are upheld in court. As an independent and elected Attorney General, I play a critical role in ensuring that decisions impacting DC residents are made by public officials accountable to DC voters.

How will you use this job to protect our rights and keep Congress and the President out of our local government business?

As DC’s independent Attorney General, I have used litigation and issued formal AG opinions to defend Home Rule, and I have led and joined multistate coalitions and amicus briefs with AGs across the nation to fight back against illegal federal overreach. In August 2025, I went to court on behalf of the District and successfully blocked the federal administration’s unlawful attempt to take command and control of DC’s Metropolitan Police Department away from the Mayor and Police Chief. In a second term, I will continue ensuring that the District’s laws, such as reasonable gun control regulations, enacted through our democratic process, are zealously defended in court and that DC aggressively protects its residents’ rights and autonomy.

Background & priorities

Very briefly describe your experience supervising other attorneys.

As Attorney General since January 2023, I currently lead the DC Office of the Attorney General — one of the nation’s largest and most effective public law offices, overseeing hundreds of attorneys and professional staff across nine operating divisions. Prior to being elected Attorney General, I was the Vice Chairman and then Managing Partner of Venable, a national law firm, where I led hundreds of attorneys and staff professionals, as well as complex trial teams.

Other priorities

Role of the office

Now more than ever, DC and DC residents need a strong, independent Attorney General to continue fighting for them