Meet the U.S. Attorney

Jay Clayton
United States Attorney

Jay Clayton is the interim United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Mr. Clayton assumed that role in April 2025.

Mr. Clayton served as Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from May 2017 to December 2020. During his tenure, the SEC prioritized retail investors—focusing both on protection and expanding investment opportunities—while enhancing resilience and efficiency across the capital markets. Under his leadership, the SEC brought more than 2,300 enforcement actions in coordination with criminal authorities, resulting in over $10 billion in fines and disgorgement and returning more than $3 billion to harmed investors. He was also a member of the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets, the Financial Stability Oversight Council, the Financial Stability Board, and the Federal Housing Finance Oversight Board.

Prior to his appointment at the SEC, Mr. Clayton was a partner at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP in New York and London, serving on the firm’s Management Committee and as co-head of its corporate practice. He returned to Sullivan & Cromwell in 2021 as Of Counsel and Senior Policy Advisor until April 2025. During that time, he also served as Chairman of Apollo Global Management, was a board member of the American Express Company, and held various advisory and fiduciary positions with public and private entities, including non-profits. Mr. Clayton has also taught at the University of Pennsylvania’s Carey Law School and Wharton Business School and served as Co-Chair of the Institute for Law and Economics from 2022 to 2025. Since January 2022, he has been a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s System Resolution Advisory Committee.

Mr. Clayton began his legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable Marvin Katz of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. He earned a B.S. in Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania summa cum laude, a B.A. and M.A. in Economics from the University of Cambridge Thouron Scholar, and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School cum laude, Order of the Coif. He is a member of the New York and Washington, D.C. bars.