After Lengthy Wait, Margaret L. Taylor Approved as State Department Legal Adviser
The position has gone without a confirmed leader since June 2019.
The U.S. Senate today held a recorded vote to confirm one individual nominated by President Joe Biden to serve in the executive branch of government - specifically in the U.S. Department of State led by Secretary Antony Blinken since January 2021.
In a 50-44 vote, Margaret L. Taylor was confirmed as Legal Adviser of the Department of State. The position has been led by two separate acting officials since June 2019, when Jennifer Gillian Newstead resigned after serving since January 2018.
Taylor was nominated to this position by Biden in April 2023. She currently serves as General Counsel of the United States Agency for International Development. Previously, she was Democratic Chief Counsel and Deputy Staff Director for the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations from 2015 to 2018.
Prior to that, Taylor was a Fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution, Senior Editor at Lawfare, and Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow with the Center for Strategic & International Studios.
Notably, Taylor is the second individual Biden has nominated to fill this position. Previously, Sarah H. Cleveland was tapped by the President for this role in August 2021. However, her nomination was withdrawn in January 2023 after the Senate failed to take action. Moreover, she became a Judge of the International Court of Justice in February 2024.