Attorney GeneralDistrict of Columbia

Rivera

Schwalb

Rivera

Rivera is an immigration and workers’ rights lawyer proposing prosecution priorities, diversion and public performance measures; the question is how his business-fairness initiative would coexist with aggressive consumer enforcement.

Sources 6, 7, 8

Schwalb

Schwalb is the incumbent defending tenant and consumer litigation, resistance to federal intervention and juvenile prosecutorial discretion; the question is whether his enforcement choices provide sufficient accountability alongside prevention and rehabilitation.

Sources 9, 13, 14

Rivera

1. He would concentrate prosecution resources on repeat violent offenders and serious juvenile cases, preserving diversion for eligible first-time, nonviolent offenders; most adult felonies would remain outside the office’s jurisdiction.

   Sources 7Counterpoints 2

2. He would establish a Small Business Legal Fairness initiative emphasizing proportionate enforcement and timely dispute resolution; it would still have to fulfill the attorney general’s statutory duty to uphold the public interest.

   Sources 7Counterpoints 1

3. Residents would gain promised public measures of case-resolution times, consumer recoveries and enforcement outcomes; those measures would improve visibility, but would not expand the office’s authority over all criminal cases.

   Sources 7Counterpoints 2

Schwalb

1. He would continue combining serious juvenile prosecutions with prevention and the ROAD Act’s recidivism measures; his office cannot take over the adult felony cases handled by the US Attorney.

   Sources 12Counterpoints 2

2. He would continue using District litigation to challenge federal intervention, including the National Guard deployment he says violated the Home Rule Act; filing suit does not give him control over federal policy.

   Sources 9, 14Counterpoints 1

3. Tenants would retain an attorney general pursuing rent-setting antitrust cases; September’s $9.3 million settlements show possible remedies, but the office’s litigation power does not guarantee refunds or lower rents for every resident.

   Sources 13Counterpoints 1

Rivera

Washingtonian describes him as a former conservative Democrat who helped establish workers’ compensation protections for undocumented people. That legal work gives a specific basis for his description of himself as an unconventional Republican.

Sources 6

Schwalb

His opposition to federal intervention and promise to protect construction workers fit the priorities of his labor-backed campaign. The reviewed record supplies no clear example of a break with his party.

Sources 9, 11

Rivera

His immigration and workers’ rights practice brings experience representing people facing legal and institutional barriers. Pairing that background with public performance measures gives voters a concrete standard for judging his administration.

Sources 6, 7, 8Counterpoints 2

Schwalb

The RealPage litigation produced two landlord settlements totaling $9.3 million and changes to business practices. That gives supporters an enforcement result beyond a promise to confront housing costs.

Sources 13Counterpoints 1

Rivera

His platform promises both proportionate business enforcement and aggressive consumer protection without explaining how conflicting cases would be prioritized. A fairness initiative could change enforcement substantially before voters know its decision rules.

Sources 7Counterpoints 1

Schwalb

His primary critic J.P. Szymkowicz argued that declining prosecutable juvenile cases can prevent access to services tied to adjudication. Schwalb’s defense of discretion leaves voters to judge how those choices affect accountability.

Sources 14Counterpoints 12

Rivera

What published criteria would govern the Small Business Legal Fairness initiative when a business disputes an enforcement action that consumers or workers want pursued?

Sources 7

Schwalb

What outcome data would show whether juveniles diverted from prosecution receive effective services and reoffend less often than comparable young people whose cases proceed?

Sources 12, 14