Harris married entertainment lawyer Doug Emhoff in 2014 and is stepmother to his two children, Cole and Ella.

Kamala Harris’ Legal Career

Harris rose up the legal ranks pretty quickly firstly starting out prosecuting in district attorney’s offices specializing in cases involving the abuse and neglect of children. In 2004, Harris was elected the first Black female District Attorney for San Francisco. Six years later, she made history again when she became the first Black female woman to be elected California’s Attorney General where she worked on legalizing gay marriage, defending the state’s climate change law, and “prosecuted transnational gangs who drove human trafficking, gun smuggling and drug rings”, according to her website.

Harris has previously argued that her background in law makes her an ideal person to reform the U.S.’ criminal justice system including ending mass incarceration and invest in community programmes to reduce and prevent crime.

“I know the system from the inside out,” Harris told the New York Timesin November. “So trust me when I say we have a problem with mass incarceration in America. Trust me when I say we have a problem with accountability. Trust me when I say we have to take the profit out of criminal justice.”

Harris has also had to explain and defend her previous “tough on crime” stances including opposing the legalization of marijuana (which she now supports) and pushing for higher bail costs in the early 2000s. The 55-year-old has said in response she is now able to move in line with more progressive thought and temperaments in society.

Kamala Harris as a senator

In 2016, Harris left law after she was elected as a senator for the state of California. As senator she has sponsored bills to ensure migrants rights are protected, various legislation to support those living in federal housing like installing carbon monoxide detectors and reviewing eviction laws as well as bills supporting survivors of sexual harassment.

As senator, she has sat on committees for homeland security and intelligence and federal relief to natural disasters and events including Covid-19. She has voiced her opposition to many of Trump’s policies including the travel ban of people from several Muslim-majority countries.

Harris was also on the committee hearing of Trump’s supreme court judge nominee Brett Kavanaugh, who was accused of sexual assault by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford (which he denies) .

During the hearing, Harris famously asked Kavanaugh if he can think of any “laws that give government the power to make decisions about a man’s body”. Trump has since criticized Harris for being “mean” to Kavanaugh, who successfully became a supreme court judge.

When Kavanaugh was confirmed as a supreme court justice, Harris criticized the decision, saying in a statement:“As a former prosecutor, I have led investigations and I have tried these cases in a courtroom. I have spent countless hours with assault survivors. And when I look at what has occurred over these few days, we have fallen short in fulfilling our constitutional duty to fully evaluate Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination. This process has been a disservice to Dr. Ford. This process was a disservice to survivors everywhere. And this process has been a disservice to the American people.”

Though she is currently on the campaign trail ahead of the November 3rd election, Harris is still working in her capacity as a senator which has involved sitting on the committee of the supreme court judge hearings.

This week, hearings on Donald Trump’s nominee Amy Coney Barrett as a replacement for the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, began despite objections from Democrats – including Harris – who argue that the nominations, hearings and selection should be postponed until after the election.

Harris acknowledged these feelings during the hearing – which she joined via video call – and referred to as “illegitimate”. A more subtle approach was then taken when Harris removed a photo of a child behind her to make a point, and revealed the children’s book I Dissent about Bader Ginsburg in the background.

Harris continued to praise the late Supreme Court justice as someone who “devoted her life to fight for equal justice, defending the constitution and advocating for human rights and equality”.