Nathan Joseph Hochman (born November 26, 1963) is an American politician and attorney who has served as the 44th

District Attorney of Los Angeles County The District Attorney of Los Angeles County is in charge of the office that prosecutes felony and misdemeanor crimes that occur within Los Angeles County, California, United States. The current district attorney (DA) is Nathan Hochman. Some mis ...

since 2024. Hochman is a former federal prosecutor and Assistant U.S. Attorney General. Hochman served as

United States Assistant Attorney General Many of the divisions and offices of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) are headed by an assistant attorney general. The president of the United States appoints individuals to the position of assistant attorney general with the adv ...

for the Tax Division of the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a United States federal executive departments, federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of Law of the Unite ...

in 2008. Prior to that, Hochman was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California from 1990 to 1997, serving in the Criminal Division. Hochman also had an extensive career in the private sector, as a partner of several nationwide firms and as a leading expert in

tax law Tax law or revenue law is an area of legal study in which public or sanctioned authorities, such as federal, state and municipal governments (as in the case of the US) use a body of rules and procedures (laws) to assess and collect taxes in a ...

criminal defense In the field of criminal law, there are a variety of conditions that will tend to negate elements of a crime (particularly the ''intent'' element), known as defenses. The label may be apt in jurisdictions where the ''accused'' may be assigned some ...

, and

environmental law Environmental laws are laws that protect the environment. The term "environmental law" encompasses treaties, statutes, regulations, conventions, and policies designed to protect the natural environment and manage the impact of human activitie ...

, and prior to becoming district attorney, was

General Counsel A general counsel, also known as chief counsel or chief legal officer (CLO), is the chief in-house lawyer for a company or a governmental department. In a company, the person holding the position typically reports directly to the CEO, and their ...

at Ross LLP. Hochman was president of the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission from 2011 to 2016. Hochman was the Republican nominee in the

2022 California Attorney General election The 2022 California Attorney General election was held on November 8, 2022, to elect the Attorney General of California, Attorney General of California. Incumbent Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta was app ...

. After becoming an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

, he defeated

George Gascón George Gascón (born March 12, 1954) is an American attorney and former police officer who served as the District Attorney of Los Angeles County from December 7, 2020 to December 3, 2024. A member of the Democratic Party and a former member of ...

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

by a 20-point margin, becoming the 44th Los Angeles County District Attorney in a landslide.

Early life and career

Nathan Hochman was born to Bruce Hochman (1929–2011), a

US Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

veteran who was among the first graduating class of

UCLA School of Law The University of California, Los Angeles School of Law (commonly known as UCLA School of Law or UCLA Law) is the law school of the University of California, Los Angeles. History Founded in 1949, the UCLA School of Law is the third oldest of t ...

, and Harriet Hochman, who was an active non-profit leader in Los Angeles. His family is

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

. Hochman graduated from

Beverly Hills High School Beverly Hills High School (shortly as BHHS or Beverly) is a public high school in Beverly Hills, California. The other public high school in Beverly Hills is Moreno High School, a small alternative school located on Beverly Hills High School's c ...

in 1981, then earned his Bachelor's degree from

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

(''magna cum laude'' and

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

) and his

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 ...

degree from

Stanford Law School Stanford Law School (SLS) is the Law school in the United States, law school of Stanford University, a Private university, private research university near Palo Alto, California. Established in 1893, Stanford Law had an acceptance rate of 6.28% i ...

. At SLS, he served as the Executive Editor of Stanford Journal of International Law. After graduating, Hochman clerked for United States District Judge Stephen V. Wilson in Los Angeles. Soon after, Hochman became an Assistant US Attorney for the Central District of California. In that role, Hochman prosecuted over 180 cases in the criminal division, securing convictions against corrupt public officials, human and narcotics traffickers, money launderers, and more. Hochman also was the Environmental Crimes Coordinator for two years. As an Assistant US Attorney, Hochman spearheaded the Los Angeles Disaster Fraud Task Force which was formed in the wake of the

1994 Northridge Earthquake The 1994 Northridge earthquake affected Greater Los Angeles, California, on January 17, 1994, at 04:30:55 PST. The epicenter of the moment 6.7 () blind thrust earthquake was beneath the San Fernando Valley. Lasting approximately 8 seconds ...

and tasked with prosecuting criminals who defrauded the federal aid programs established for emergency relief. Hochman was a principal at Hochman, Salkin, Rettig, Toscher & Perez, PC, a law firm founded by his father, Bruce I. Hochman. Hochman joined the firm of

Bingham McCutchen Bingham McCutchen LLP was a global law firm with approximately 850 attorneys in nine US offices and five international offices. It ceased operations in late 2015, when several hundred of its partners and associate lawyers left the firm to join Phi ...

, LLP in 2009 as a partner and then became a partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP in 2014 when Bingham McCutchen combined with Morgan Lewis. At Morgan Lewis, he was the deputy chair of the White Collar Litigation and Government Investigations practice group. In 2019, Hochman joined the firm of Browne George Ross LLP in its Century City branch office. Hochman was currently

general counsel A general counsel, also known as chief counsel or chief legal officer (CLO), is the chief in-house lawyer for a company or a governmental department. In a company, the person holding the position typically reports directly to the CEO, and their ...

at Ross LLP.

United States Assistant Attorney General

Hochman was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as United States Assistant Attorney General, overseeing the Tax Division of the United States Department of Justice. He was

unanimous Unanimity is agreement by all people in a given situation. Groups may consider unanimous decisions as a sign of social, political or procedural agreement, solidarity, and unity. Unanimity may be assumed explicitly after a unanimous vote or impl ...

ly confirmed by the United States Senate on December 19, 2007. As head of the Tax Division, Hochman oversaw the US Government's efforts to enforce federal tax law, particularly focused on bringing justice to individuals involved in

tax evasion Tax evasion or tax fraud is an illegal attempt to defeat the imposition of taxes by individuals, corporations, trusts, and others. Tax evasion often entails the deliberate misrepresentation of the taxpayer's affairs to the tax authorities to red ...

, offshore tax sheltering,

bankruptcy fraud Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...

, and overall

tax fraud Tax evasion or tax fraud is an illegal attempt to defeat the imposition of taxes by individuals, corporations, trust (property), trusts, and others. Tax evasion often entails the deliberate misrepresentation of the taxpayer's affairs to the tax au ...

Los Angeles Ethics Commission

Hochman was appointed by

Los Angeles City Attorney The Los Angeles City Attorney is an elected official who serves as the City of Los Angeles' government's lawyer and as a criminal prosecutor for misdemeanor offenses only. The City Attorney is elected for four years, and the City Charter requires ...

Carmen Trutanich Carmen Anthony "Nuch" Trutanich ( ; born August 12, 1951) is an American politician. He served as Los Angeles City Attorney from 2009 to 2013. Biography Trutanich grew up in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, San Pedro where he attended ele ...

to serve on the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission and was confirmed unanimously by the Los Angeles City Council. His term ran from August 2011 to June 2016. The Los Angeles City Ethics Commission is responsible for administering city and state law with regards to political campaigns, lobbying, contracting, and governmental ethics. As an Ethics Commissioner, Hochman spearheaded a proposal to provide cash incentives to boost voter turnout in special elections in the City of Los Angeles. In 2014, he served as the president of the commission.

Los Angeles County District Attorney

Hochman was sworn into District Attorney on December 3, 2024 by actor and former

California governor The governor of California is the head of government of the U.S. state of California. The governor is the commander-in-chief of the California National Guard and the California State Guard. Established in the Constitution of California, th ...

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...

. Immediately upon taking office, he revoked several of Gascón's policies which had restricted prosecutors from pursuing the death penalty, requesting sentencing enhancements, and filing charges for misdemeanors such as drug possession and public intoxication. In a high profile decision made after his election, Hochman opposed a ''

habeas corpus ''Habeas corpus'' (; from Medieval Latin, ) is a legal procedure invoking the jurisdiction of a court to review the unlawful detention or imprisonment of an individual, and request the individual's custodian (usually a prison official) to ...

'' petition for Erik and Lyle Menendez requesting a new trial for the murder of their parents on the basis of claims that their father had sexually abused Erik, and also opposed resentencing of the brothers stating that they had not disavowed the false statements made about the crimes, thus withdrawing Gascón's original filing.

Political campaigns

Hochman was the Republican nominee for the

, losing the election to Democrat

Rob Bonta Robert Andres Bonta (born September 22, 1972) is a Filipino and American lawyer and politician who has served as attorney general of California since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a member of the California Stat ...

. Hochman ran as an independent candidate for

Los Angeles County District Attorney The District Attorney of Los Angeles County is in charge of the office that prosecutor, prosecutes felony and misdemeanor crimes that occur within Los Angeles County, California, United States. The current district attorney (DA) is Nathan Hochma ...

. In the March 5, 2024, primary, Hochman advanced to the general election against incumbent

. On November 5, 2024, Hochman was elected as the 44th District Attorney of Los Angeles County, taking over 59% of the vote.

Personal life

Nathan Hochman is married to Vivienne Vella and they have three children together. Hochman is an active community leader and volunteer, serving on the boards or holding leadership positions at

Cedars Sinai Medical Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a non-profit, tertiary, 915-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, the hospital has a staff of over 2,00 ...

, the Jewish Federation Council of

Greater Los Angeles Greater Los Angeles is the most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. state of California, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino County and Riverside County in the eas ...

, the

Brandeis-Bardin Institute The Brandeis-Bardin Campus of American Jewish University is a Jewish retreat located since 1947 in the northeastern Simi Hills, in the city of Simi Valley, California. Formerly known as the Brandeis-Bardin Institute, it is used for nondenominatio ...

, the

American Jewish University American Jewish University (AJU) is a Private university, private Jewish university in Los Angeles, California. It was formed in 2007 from the merger of the University of Judaism and Brandeis-Bardin Institute. AJU's academic division includes ...

, the Legal Services Division of the United Jewish Fund, and the Jewish Community Foundation.

References

1963 births 21st-century American lawyers Beverly Hills High School alumni Brown University alumni California Republicans Candidates in the 2022 United States elections George W. Bush administration personnel Lawyers from Los Angeles Living people Stanford Law School alumni Stanford University staff United States assistant attorneys general 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews 20th-century American lawyers {{s-end