Dara Lindenbaum is an American election lawyer serving as a commissioner of the

Federal Election Commission The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent agency of the United States government that enforces U.S. campaign finance laws and oversees U.S. federal elections. Created in 1974 through amendments to the Federal Election Campaign ...

(FEC). She was nominated in January 2022 and confirmed by the Senate in May 2022.

Education

Lindenbaum earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in art history from

Northeastern University Northeastern University (NU or NEU) is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded by the Boston Young Men's Christian Association in 1898 as an all-male instit ...

and a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from the

George Washington University Law School The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is the law school of George Washington University, a Private university, private research university in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest law school in Washington, D. ...

in 2011.

Career

During the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

, Lindenbaum was an activist with

Code Pink Code Pink: Women for Peace (often stylized as CODEPINK) is a left-wing, anti-war organization registered in the United States as a 501(c)(3) organization. It focuses on issues such as drone strikes, the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, Palestini ...

. After graduating from law school, she worked as associate counsel in the Voting Rights Project at the

Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, or simply the Lawyers' Committee, is an American civil rights organization founded in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy. When the Lawyers' Committee was created, its existence w ...

. She was also a development assistant at

Americans United for Separation of Church and State Americans United for Separation of Church and State (Americans United or AU for short) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that advocates for the disassociation of religion and religious organizations from government. The separation of chur ...

. During the

2018 Georgia gubernatorial election The 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, concurrently with other Georgia elections, 2018, statewide and local elections to elect the next governor of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Republican ...

, Lindenbaum worked as general counsel for

Stacey Abrams Stacey Yvonne Abrams (; born December 9, 1973) is an American politician, lawyer, voting rights activist, and author who served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2007 to 2017, serving as minority leader from 2011 to 2017. A member ...

's campaign. In 2020, Lindenbaum was legal counsel for

Fair Fight Action Fair Fight Action is an American political organization founded in 2018 by Stacey Abrams to address voter suppression in Georgia and across the United States. Origins Stacey Abrams had long been involved with the Democratic Party, serving as ...

. Prior to her governmental service Lindenbaum was a partner at Sandler Reiff Lamb Rosenstein & Birkenstock, P.C.

FEC Nomination

On January 21, 2022, President

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

nominated Lindenbaum to be a commissioner of the Federal Election Commission. Hearings were held before the

Senate Rules Committee The Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, also called the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, is responsible for the rules of the United States Senate, administration of congressional buildings, and with credentials and qualificat ...

on the nomination on April 6, 2022. The committee favorably reported the nomination on May 3, 2022. She was confirmed by the full Senate on May 24, 2022 by a vote of 54–38, with 6 Republicans supporting her confirmation. She was sworn in on August 2, 2022. She was elected as FEC Chair for 2023.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lindenbaum, Dara Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century American women lawyers 21st-century American lawyers American lobbyists George Washington University Law School alumni Members of the Federal Election Commission Northeastern University alumni Virginia Democrats