Pam Bondi becomes third female US attorney general. See how Florida senators voted on confirmation
- U.S. Senate votes 54-46 to confirm Pam Bondi as attorney general.
- Florida's senators, both Republicans, voted for Bondi's confirmation.
- Janet Reno was the first female attorney general.
Pam Bondi is the latest Floridian to join President Trump's administration.
The U.S. Senate confirmed Bondi as the U.S. attorney general Tuesday night in a 54-46 vote.
Former senator Marco Rubio of Florida is already at the helm of the U.S. State Department after being confirmed unanimously on Trump's Inauguration Day Jan. 20, 2025.
Here's what to know about Bondi and her new role.
Who is Pam Bondi?
Pamela Jo Bondi, 59, is a Tampa-area native, born in Temple Terrace.
Bondi, a fourth-generation Floridian and daughter of Temple Terrace Mayor Joseph Bondi, received her BA in Criminal Justice in 1987 from the University of Florida and her Juris Doctor in 1990 from Stetson Law School.
She worked as a prosecutor in Hillsborough County’s 13th Judicial Circuit for nearly 20 years before running for the office of Florida Attorney General. She won in 2010 and became the first woman in Florida to hold the office.
Bondi served as Florida's attorney general from 2011 to 2019 and was a defense lawyer for Trump in his first impeachment trial.
What did Bondi do as Florida attorney general?
As Florida attorney general, Bondi:
- Worked alongside multiple agencies and legislators to implement programs and laws aimed at fighting fentanyl trafficking.
- Led an unsuccessful multistate lawsuit to overturn the Affordable Care Act.
- Led a statewide effort to eliminate pill mills.
- Pulled the state of Florida into a lawsuit against Obama's immigration policy.
- Defended Florida's same-sex marriage ban, citing her desire to uphold the constitution.
- Co-authored a presidential report on the opioid crisis.
How did Florida's US senators vote on Bondi's nomination?
Florida's senators, Ashley Moody and Rick Scott, voted in favor of Bondi's confirmation, according to the U.S. Senate's website.
Moody and Scott are both Republicans.
No Republicans voted against Bondi.
Sen. John Fetterman, from Pennsylvania, was the lone Democrat who voted in favor of Bondi.
What does the US attorney general do?
"The Attorney General represents the United States in legal matters generally and gives advice and opinions to the President and to the heads of the executive departments of the Government when so requested," according to the Justice Department's website.
"In matters of exceptional gravity or importance the Attorney General appears in person before the Supreme Court.
How long has there been a US attorney general?
Congress established the position of an attorney general in September 1789, making it the "the fourth in the order of creation by Congress of those positions that have come to be defined as Cabinet level positions."
Is Pam Bondi the first female attorney general?
No. Janet Reno became the first woman attorney general. She served from 1993 to 2021, becoming the longest serving attorney general in the 20th century, according to the Justice Department.
Reno also was from Florida. She was born in Miami.
The second female U.S. attorney general was Loretta Lynch of North Carolina. She served from 2015-2017.
Contributing: Jonathan Limehouse, USA Today; C.A. Bridges, USA Today Network-Florida