President Barack Obama on Thursday nominated Mary Jo White, a partner at Debevoise & Plimpton and a former Southern District U.S. attorney, as the next chairwoman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. White, now a white-collar defense lawyer, has been at Debevoise since 2002.
White’s nomination must be confirmed by the Senate. She would replace Elisse Walter, a George W. Bush appointee who took over as chairwoman in December when Mary Schapiro announced she would step down from the position.
