Anthony Brown, the 47th Attorney General of Maryland, has the most decorated military and political résumé of any state attorney general currently in office. A 1984 Harvard graduate, 1992 Harvard Law School classmate of Barack Obama, retired Army Reserve Colonel, Iraq War veteran, three-term U.S. Representative for Maryland’s 4th congressional district, two-term Lieutenant Governor of Maryland under Martin O’Malley, and the first Black attorney general in Maryland’s history — Brown’s path to the office is unusual in nearly every dimension. He was sworn in on January 3, 2023, and is running for a second term in 2026.

Early life, education, and the West Point–Harvard transition

Anthony Gregory Brown was born November 21, 1961, in Huntington, New York. His father, Roy Hershel Brown, was a physician born in Cuba and raised in Jamaica who later attended Fordham University and earned his medical degree in Zürich, Switzerland; his mother, Lilly I. Berlinger, met his father in Switzerland. Brown initially attended the United States Military Academy at West Point before transferring to Harvard College, where he majored in government, lived in Quincy House, and — because Harvard did not have its own ROTC unit — enrolled in the Army ROTC program at MIT in his second year. He earned a B.A. cum laude in 1984 with the designation of Distinguished Military Graduate.

After five years of active-duty Army service Brown returned to Cambridge for law school, attending Harvard Law School from 1989 to 1992. His class included future President Barack Obama and future Congressman Artur Davis; Brown served on the Board of Student Advisers and was chair of the Black Law Students Association’s Membership Committee.

Military service: aviator, JAG officer, Iraq War veteran

Brown’s active-duty service from 1984 to 1989 began as a second lieutenant. He graduated first in his flight class at Fort Rucker, Alabama, earning his Army aviator rating, then completed airborne training and served as a helicopter pilot with the Aviation Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division in Europe — holding positions including platoon leader, executive officer, logistics officer, and flight operations officer for Task Force 23.

After law school he transferred from the Aviation Branch to the Judge Advocate General’s Corps in the U.S. Army Reserve. He attended JAG School at the University of Virginia and served with the 10th Legal Support Organization in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

In 2004, while serving in the Maryland House of Delegates, Brown deployed to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He served with the 353rd Civil Affairs Command across Baghdad, Fallujah, Kirkuk, and Basra as senior consultant to the Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration, and was awarded the Bronze Star for distinguished service. He retired from the U.S. Army Reserve as a Colonel in July 2014 after 30 years of commissioned service.

Legal career

From 1992 to 1994 Brown served a two-year clerkship for Chief Judge Eugene Sullivan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, the federal court of last resort for the military justice system.

From 1994 to 1999 he was an associate at Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering (now WilmerHale) in Washington, D.C., practicing alongside the renowned civil-rights attorney John Payton and Stephen H. Sachs, a former U.S. Attorney for Maryland and 40th Attorney General of Maryland. In 1998 he received WilmerHale’s Pro Bono Publico Award for his representation of indigent clients. After a brief stint at Merrill Lynch’s wealth-management division in 1999, Brown joined Gibbs & Haller, a Prince George’s County land-use and zoning law firm, in 2000 — a transition timed with his entry into elected politics.

Maryland House of Delegates and the Lieutenant Governor years

Brown was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1998, representing the 25th district in Prince George’s County. He served two four-year terms (1999–2007), rising to vice chair of the Judiciary Committee in 2003 and Majority Whip — the fourth-ranking House leadership position — in 2004, appointed by Speaker Michael E. Busch.

In 2006 Brown was elected Lieutenant Governor of Maryland on a ticket with then-Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley. He took office on January 17, 2007 and was re-elected in 2010 by a 56%–42% margin. He became the first person ever elected Lieutenant Governor directly from the Maryland House of Delegates. His Lt. Gov. portfolio included co-chairing the Maryland Health Care Reform Coordinating Council, chairing the Joint Legislative and Executive Commission on Oversight of Public-Private Partnerships, and chairing the Governor’s Subcabinet on Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC). Notable initiatives during his Lt. Gov. tenure included Maryland Health Enterprise Zones, domestic-violence reforms passed after the 2008 murder of his cousin Kathy by an estranged boyfriend, and the Veterans Behavioral Health Act of 2008.

The 2014 gubernatorial loss and the path to Congress

Brown ran for governor of Maryland in 2014, won the Democratic primary in June over Attorney General Doug Gansler and Delegate Heather Mizeur, and lost the November general election to Republican Larry Hogan by 51.5%–46.8%. His campaign was hampered by the troubled launch of Maryland’s health-insurance exchange, which Brown had overseen as Lt. Gov.

In 2016 Brown ran for the U.S. House seat representing Maryland’s 4th congressional district, vacated by Donna Edwards. He won the crowded six-way Democratic primary with 41% and the general election with 73%, taking office on January 3, 2017. He served three terms in Congress, including as Vice Chair of the House Armed Services Committee from 2017 through 2021.

Election as Maryland Attorney General

Brown announced on October 25, 2021, that he would not seek House reelection and would instead run for Maryland Attorney General. He won the Democratic primary on July 19, 2022 with 55.1% over former First Lady of Maryland Katie O’Malley, and the November 2022 general election against Republican Michael Peroutka — becoming Maryland’s first Black attorney general. He was sworn in on January 3, 2023.

Notable cases and AG portfolio

The Archdiocese of Baltimore clergy abuse report

The defining initiative of Brown’s first year as AG was the April 2023 release of a 463-page report on clergy sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, the oldest Catholic diocese in the United States. The report — which Brown’s predecessor had begun and Brown completed — detailed more than 600 cases of child sexual abuse against 156 Catholic priests over 80 years, and led to expanded investigations of the Archdiocese of Washington and the Diocese of Wilmington.

Police accountability and civil-rights enforcement authority

Brown advocated for and signed legislation in May 2023 expanding the Maryland Attorney General’s authority to prosecute police-involved deaths and to bring civil-rights enforcement actions for housing and employment discrimination. As of January 2025 the office had brought charges in two of 39 police-involved fatalities investigated since the office’s expanded authority took effect in October 2023.

Federal-policy litigation since January 2025

Brown joined or led numerous multistate lawsuits challenging federal executive actions arising from the second Trump administration, working closely with other Democratic state AGs on matters including federal-employee due process, federal-funds disbursement, and federal-agency rulemaking.

Personal life and military awards

Brown was previously married to Patricia Arzuaga (1993–2009) and is the father of children Rebecca and Jonathan. He married Karmen Walker on May 27, 2012; she is the widow of Prince George’s County police officer Anthony Michael Walker and has a son, Anthony. Brown is Catholic.

Brown’s military awards include the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal (with two oak leaf clusters), the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Army Aviator Badge. He was authorized to wear the Basic Parachutist Badge and Air Assault Badge.

Frequently asked questions

What was Anthony Brown’s career before becoming Maryland AG?

Brown is a retired Army Reserve Colonel and Iraq War veteran (Bronze Star). He clerked for Chief Judge Eugene Sullivan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (1992–1994), practiced at Wilmer Cutler & Pickering and Gibbs & Haller, served two terms in the Maryland House of Delegates (1999–2007), two terms as Lieutenant Governor of Maryland under Martin O’Malley (2007–2015), lost the 2014 Maryland gubernatorial race to Larry Hogan, and served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives (2017–2023) representing Maryland’s 4th district.

Is Anthony Brown the first Black attorney general of Maryland?

Yes. Brown was sworn in on January 3, 2023 as the 47th Attorney General of Maryland and the first Black person to hold the office in Maryland history.

What is the Maryland Archdiocese clergy abuse report?

In April 2023 Brown’s office released a 463-page report on clergy sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Baltimore detailing more than 600 cases of child sexual abuse against 156 Catholic priests over an 80-year period. The investigation began under Brown’s predecessor and was completed and released under Brown. The office subsequently expanded its investigation to include the Archdiocese of Washington and the Diocese of Wilmington.

Did Anthony Brown serve in Iraq?

Yes. Brown deployed to Iraq in 2004 with the 353rd Civil Affairs Command, serving across Baghdad, Fallujah, Kirkuk, and Basra as senior consultant to the Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration. He was awarded the Bronze Star for distinguished service. He retired from the U.S. Army Reserve as a Colonel in July 2014 after 30 years of commissioned service.

Did Anthony Brown go to law school with Barack Obama?

Yes. Brown attended Harvard Law School from 1989 to 1992 and was a classmate of Barack Obama, future Congressman Artur Davis, and Hill Harper. Brown served on the Harvard Law School Board of Student Advisers and chaired the Membership Committee of the Black Law Students Association.

Sources

This profile is part of TheCompleteLawyer.com’s series on the U.S. state attorneys general. Profiles are intended as a neutral biographical resource focused on professional and legal career; they are not endorsements and do not represent the views of TheCompleteLawyer.com.