Matt Gaetz's law experience: What to know about the attorney general pick's resume

President-elect Donald Trump sent shockwaves through Washington on Wednesday when he named Matt Gaetz, former Congressman from Florida, as his pick for attorney general.

Gaetz resigned from the House of Representatives following the announcement. If confirmed by the Senate, Gaetz will head the Department of Justice. Both Gaetz and Trump have been the subject of investigations from the Justice Department, though Gaetz's ended without charges.

The House Ethics Committee has been investigating Gaetz on claims of sexual misconduct, drug use, "improper gifts" and special favors. Gaetz has denied the allegations, but his resignation effectively ended the investigation.

Gaetz is a staunch defender of Trump, appearing at the New York hush money trial to denounce the proceedings as "corrupt."

Here's what to know about Gaetz's prior experience and his unique path to the DOJ.

More: Fresh off visit to Trump trial, Matt Gaetz takes to Twitter to echo Proud Boys shoutout

Is Matt Gaetz a lawyer? What to know about previous experience

Yes. Gaetz earned his law degree from William & Mary Law School, graduating in the class of 2007, and was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2008.

In 2021, hundreds of students and alumni at William & Mary signed a petition calling for Gaetz's resignation after Gaetz voted against certifying the 2020 election results.

"William & Mary Law teaches its students to be citizen lawyers: leaders in our community and passionate advocates for equality and social justice. Rep. Gaetz is the antithesis of a citizen lawyer and he cannot be trusted with the laws of our nation," states the letter, which was previously reported by Virginia-based media outlet WAVY. Gaetz did not immediately respond to a request for comment. William & Mary said it does not take positions on political opinions.

Before being elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2010, he briefly served as an attorney with the Keefe, Anchors & Gordon law firm, reported the Pensacola News Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network. He was shortly suspended from practicing law in 2021 due to unpaid fees in 2021 but was later reinstated.

Attorneys general usually have experience as federal prosecutors. During Trump's first presidency, some top lawyers in his administration threatened to quit over his proposal to elevate someone without prosecutorial experience to attorney general, USA TODAY previously reported.

Matt Gaetz: Attorney, elected official, led historic ousting of House Speaker

After practicing as a lawyer, Gaetz was elected to the Florida House of Representatives, holding his seat from April 2010 until November 2016.

Until resigning Wednesday, Gaetz represented Florida's 1st congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives, covering the westernmost part of the panhandle, since 2017.

In 2023, Gaetz led a historic movement to oust former speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., after he reached a stopgap funding agreement to avert a government shutdown. Gaetz introduced the motion to vacate and seven other Republicans ultimately voted with him.

Gaetz joined a long line of Republicans visiting the courthouse in New York in May while Trump was on trial for falsifying business records.

"This is a corrupt judge. These are corrupted witnesses. This is a corrupt prosecution that belies any sense of the facts or the law. We’re going to keep speaking out against this," he said at press conference at the time.

Contributing: Bart Jansen, Brandon Girod

Kinsey Crowley is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected], and follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is Matt Gaetz a lawyer? More about Trump's attorney general pick