AG Jones Sarches for Higher Ed Counsel to Halt ‘Politically-Motivated Assaults’ on Virginia Colleges

After 2025 proved to be a tumultuous year in Virginia’s higher education landscape, the Virginia Attorney General’s office, now under Democratic leadership, has launched a national search to recruit university counsels for three of Virginia’s public colleges and universities, the office announced Friday.

Attorney General Jay Jones announced a nationwide search for university counsels at UVA, VMI, and GMU on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/Virginia Mercury)

The search is part of Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones’ promise to take politics out of higher education and defend Virginia’s students by recruiting and hiring talented legal professionals. Jones was sworn into office, along with Gov. Abigail Spanberger and Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi, last Saturday.

The positions are at the University of Virginia, George Mason University, and Virginia Military Institute, all of which have been subject to federal scrutiny for their diversity, equit,y and inclusion initiatives, as U.S. Department of Education leaders attempt to align higher education institutions nationwide with the policies of President Donald Trump’s administration.

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UVA and George Mason have been the subject of multiple federal investigations.

“Virginia’s world-class institutions of higher education are integral to spurring innovation, building the workforce of today and tomorrow, and driving economic growth,” said Attorney General Jay Jones in a statement.

The Trump administration’s “continued politically-motivated assaults” on Virginia’s academic institutions have sought to “tarnish their reputations and undermine their ability to successfully prepare our students for the future” over the past year, Jones said.

“Virginians made it clear this past November that they want leaders who will fight back against this federal overreach, and this national search delivers on that promise,” Jones said.

In recent days, the Washington Post reported that Jones removed university lawyers at George Mason and VMI.

Former Attorney General Jason Miyares similarly removed university counsel in 2022, with the office stating at the time it is common for a new attorney general to appoint counsel who share their philosophy.

The decision follows Jones’s recent announcement of leadership for the Defend Virginia PAC, an organization supporting his political initiatives, naming Jake Rubenstein as executive director and Ben Celestino as finance director.

Defend Virginia PAC is a political action committee established to defend the commonwealth from “federal overreach, safeguard Virginians’ fundamental freedoms, and promote economic security for families across Virginia,” the announcement stated.

The PAC will support candidates and initiatives challenging unlawful federal actions, defending reproductive and voting rights, protecting consumers and workers, and opposing policies by “MAGA Republicans in Washington” that increase costs, weaken economic security, and interfere with local decision-making.

Jones’ office said postings for higher education counsel have been advertised in several nationally recognized higher education associations to find “top legal talent to represent our institutions and protect their integrity.”

by Nathaniel Cline, Virginia Mercury

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