Courtney Simmons Elwood (born June 6, 1968) is an American attorney who served as the general counsel of the
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...
(CIA) in the
Trump administration between 2017 and 2021.
Early life and education
Elwood was born in
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Located just northwest of Washington, D.C., it is a major business and government center of the Washington metropolitan region ...
. She was a member of the first graduating class of
West Potomac High School in
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...
. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from
Washington and Lee University and a
Juris Doctor from
Yale Law School
Yale Law School (YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824. The 2020–21 acceptance rate was 4%, the lowest of any law school in the United ...
.
Career
Prior to assuming her post at the CIA, she was a partner with the firm
Kellogg, Hansen, Todd, Figel & Frederick. She joined this firm in 1996, after clerking for Chief Justice
William Rehnquist on the
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...
during the 1995 term and for Judge
J. Michael Luttig on the
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (in case citations, 4th Cir.) is a United States federal court, federal court located in Richmond, Virginia, with appellate jurisdiction over the United States district court, district cou ...
.
Elwood has served as an associate counsel to the president, deputy counsel to the vice president, and deputy chief of staff and counselor to the attorney general. In March 2017, she was announced as President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
's nominee to become general counsel of the CIA. She was confirmed by the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...
with a vote of 67–33 on June 6, 2017.
Personal life
On November 23, 1996, she married John Elwood, also a Yale-trained lawyer, in Alexandria, Virginia.
See also
*
Trump–Ukraine scandal
*
List of law clerks of the Supreme Court of the United States (Chief Justice)
References
External links
Courtney Simmons at Kellogg Hansen Law*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elwood, Courtney Simmons
1968 births
Living people
Washington and Lee University alumni
Yale Law School alumni
21st-century American lawyers
First Trump administration personnel
Women government officials
Law clerks of the Supreme Court of the United States
Law clerks of J. Michael Luttig