The Senate on Thursday confirmed President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, along with a set of 13 US attorneys as the administration continues prioritizing nominations of prosecutors from Republican-led states.
The 53-43 vote on the nominee package cements Tyson Duva, a veteran line prosecutor with no prior managerial experience, as leader of the 1,100-employee criminal enforcement arm, tasked with investigating a wide range of white-collar and violent crime cases.
Duva, who specialized in public corruption cases as an assistant US attorney in Jacksonville, Fla., will take over a division that’s been relatively stable and apolitical compared to other parts of the department this year. Still, he’ll face scrutiny over his ability to make charging decisions free from White House pressure.
The batch vote also included US attorney picks for judicial districts in Louisiana, Tennessee, Missouri, and other states represented by Republicans in the Senate. Only two of the newly approved US attorneys are from states represented by Democrats—Jerome Francis Gorgon Jr. in the Eastern District of Michigan and Erin Creegan for the District of New Hampshire.
The newly confirmed prosecutors bring the total of Trump’s second-term US attorney picks approved by the Senate to 31, with 25—roughly 80%—from red states. Most of the confirmed prosecutors bring with them a traditional mix of prior service in offices of US attorneys, district attorneys, and other prosecutors.
The 62 remaining US attorney leadership posts are filled with individuals serving in interim or acting roles or those in their posts since before the start of Trump’s second term. Former federal prosecutors and DOJ officials have criticized the administration’s slow pace in putting forth nominees and the willingness to bypass Senate opposition by temporarily installing loyalists with limited previous prosecutorial experience in predominantly Democratic jurisdictions.
Six of Trump’s US attorney picks serving in interim and acting capacities are being challenged in court, with federal judges so far ruling that four have been unlawfully appointed.
To contact the reporters on this story:
To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Learn more about Bloomberg Law or Log In to keep reading:
See Breaking News in Context
Bloomberg Law provides trusted coverage of current events enhanced with legal analysis.
Already a subscriber?
Log in to keep reading or access research tools and resources.