Jennifer Gillian Newstead
American lawyer

Jennifer Gillian Newstead
24th Legal Adviser of the Department of State
In office
January 22, 2018 – May 31, 2019[1]
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byBrian James Egan
Succeeded byMargaret L. Taylor (2024)
Personal details
EducationHarvard University (BA)
Yale University (JD)

Jennifer Gillian Newstead is an American attorney and technology executive. Newstead is the incoming Senior Vice President for Government Affairs and General Counsel of Apple Inc. starting March 2026[2], having previously served as the General Counsel of Meta Platforms. From 2018 to 2019, Newstead was the Legal Adviser of the Department of State during the first presidency of Donald Trump.[3]

Career

Newstead graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. in 1991 and received a J.D. from Yale Law School in 1994. She then clerked for Judge Laurence Silberman of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and Justice Stephen Breyer at the U.S. Supreme Court.[4][5]

She was the Legal Adviser to the United States Department of State, a role confirmed by the US Senate and holding the rank of Assistant Secretary. Prior to that, she was a partner at the large corporate law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell.[6] She was also General Counsel of the Office of Management and Budget, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the United States Department of Justice's Office of Legal Policy, and Associate Counsel to the President of the United States.[7][8][9] She is credited with helping to draft the Patriot Act.[10] In December 2017, during her confirmation she was questioned about her views on the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.[11][12][13][14]

Additionally, Newstead has served as an adjunct professor at Georgetown Law.[15] In 2015, The American Lawyer recognized her for her work on transatlantic litigation.[16]

In 2018, Jennifer G. Newstead represented the United States as Agent, Counsel, and Advocate in the case Alleged violations of the 1955 Treaty of Amity, Economic Relations, and Consular Rights (Islamic Republic of Iran v. United States of America) before the International Court of Justice.[17]

In 2019, she was hired as general counsel by Facebook (now Meta Platforms).[18] In 2025, Apple announced it was hiring her as the company's incoming general counsel.[19]

See also

References

  1. ^ Pompeo, Michael R. (April 22, 2019). "Departure of Legal Adviser Jennifer Newstead". www.state.gov. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  2. ^ "Apple Announces Executive Transitions". www.apple.com. December 4, 2025. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
  3. ^ Levy, Ari (April 22, 2019). "Facebook hires top State Department lawyer as general counsel". www.cnbc.com. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  4. ^ "A Day in the Life with Women at Law Firms featuring Jennifer Newstead & Cristina Regojo". Yale Law School. October 15, 2009. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  5. ^ "Alumni, Yale Law School Fund, and Endowment Funds" (PDF). Yale Law School Bulletin 2003–2004. 99 (8): 156. August 8, 2003. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  6. ^ Schneider-Mayerson, Anna (November 14, 2005). "The Little Supremes". The Observer. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  7. ^ "Appointments" (PDF). State Magazine (631). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of State. February 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 8, 2018. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  8. ^ Forrester, Nathan A., ed. (2013). Opinions of the Office of Legal Counsel of the USDOJ for 2004. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice. p. 63.
  9. ^ Congressional Directory for the 107th Congress (2001-2002). Washington, DC: U.S. Govt Printing Office. 2002. p. 638. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  10. ^ Hohmann, James (June 29, 2017). "The Daily 202: Even sweeping the suburbs would not be enough for Democrats to win the House majority". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  11. ^ Rogin, Josh (March 13, 2018). "Opinion: Congress puts out the unwelcome mat for the Saudi crown prince". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  12. ^ De Luce, Dan (December 19, 2017). "Trump Nominee Concedes Saudi Siege of Yemen Could Be Violating U.S. Law". ForeignPolicy.com. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  13. ^ "Editorial: The Yemen Crucible". New York Times. December 27, 2017. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  14. ^ "Graphic: Tracking how many key positions Trump has filled so far". The Washington Post. May 23, 2018. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  15. ^ "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Personnel to Key Administration Posts". whitehouse.gov. September 2, 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2017 – via National Archives.
  16. ^ Scarcella, Mike (September 5, 2017). "Trump Moves to Fill Top-Attorney Posts at DOJ, Regulatory Agencies". Law.com. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  17. ^ Alleged violations of the 1955 Treaty of Amity, Economic Relations, and Consular Rights (Islamic Republic of Iran v. United States of America). Conclusion of the public hearings on the request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by Iran - The Court to begin its deliberation. International Court of Justice. Press release 2018/43, August 30, 2018, accessed August 30, 2018.
  18. ^ Horwitz, Jeff (April 22, 2019). "Facebook Hires Top State Department Lawyer and Bill Gates's Former PR Chief". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  19. ^ Winkler, Rolfe (December 4, 2025). "Top Apple Executives to Leave, Adding to Recent Departures". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  • Biography at Davis Polk (archived September 14, 2017)
  • Statement of Jennifer Gillian Newstead (October 18, 2017) to the Foreign Relations Committee, U.S. Senate.


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