Posted on 05/31/2009 10:14:50 AM PDT by STARWISE
Two current and three former federal prosecutors have emerged as finalists to become the U.S. attorney for the District, according to sources familiar with the process.
The current prosecutors are Channing Phillips, 51, and Roy L. Austin Jr., 39, and the former prosecutors are Anjali Chaturvedi, 40, Ronald C. Machen, 40, and Shanlon Wu, 50, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the selection process.
The next top prosecutor is not expected to take office until this fall. Jeffrey A. Taylor, a Republican who was tapped by President George W. Bush to take the post in 2006, is stepping down today to take a job in the private sector, officials said. His resignation was expected.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
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May 28, 2009
U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Taylor Resigns
UPDATE: Ernst & Young has announced that Taylor will join the firm as the Americas leader of the Fraud Investigation & Dispute Services area. In that role, he'll help companies deal with the complex issues related to fraud, regulatory compliance, and business disputes.
"Under Jeff's leadership we will enhance our brand and expand the breadth of our capabilities, as his broad experience will help us advise clients on matters of corporate governance, transparency and ethics," said Steve Howe, the firm's Americas Area managing partner, in a statement.
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Jeffrey Taylor, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, has announced his resignation, effective tomorrow. Taylor, 44, who has served as the District's top prosecutor on an interim basis since September 2006, will join Ernst & Young’s Washington office next month, according to a source familiar with the matter. A spokeswoman for the firm declined to comment.
“Serving the residents of the District of Columbia has been the most rewarding experience of my professional life,” Taylor said in a statement. “It has been my distinct honor to have led the extraordinary talented and dedicated men and women in this office for more than 2 1⁄2 years. It has also been a privilege to work with some of the finest law enforcement agencies in the country who work tirelessly to make this city safe.”
From 2002 to 2006, Taylor (Stanford, Harvard Law) was counselor to Attorneys General John Ashcroft and Alberto Gonzales, for whom he handled a range of matters, including oversight of the department’s national security, terrorism, and criminal litigation, and policy efforts. Following a four-year stint as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California, Taylor served as counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee from 1999 to 2002.
Though his nomination never moved out of committee, and despite early concerns that he lacked ties to the community, Taylor has been widely praised throughout his tenure as U.S. attorney. Once his first interim period expired, judges on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia unanimously voted to extend his stay. Taylor withdrew his nomination in September.
It was not immediately clear who will plug Taylor's spot until his successor is confirmed. (The BLT has a call into the Justice Department.) The 17-member commission tasked with reviewing candidates for U.S. attorney began interviews this week, one of the final stages before the body makes its recommendations to Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton.
Seven lawyers have applied for the job, according to the sources, including Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr partner Ron Machen; Channing Phillips, the District’s principal assistant U.S. attorney; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Roy Austin Jr. As The Washington Post reported earlier today, and sources have confirmed, Nixon Peabody partner Anjali Chaturvedi and Shanlon Wu, of Wheat Wu, have also applied for the post. Both, like Machen, are former federal prosecutors.
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May 29, 2009
Phillips Is Named Acting U.S. Attorney in D.C.
Channing Phillips has been named acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, the Justice Department said today. Jeffrey Taylor, who held the post for the past 2 plus years, announced yesterday he was stepping aside to join the Washington office of Ernst & Young. Today is his last day.
The move could amount to a dress rehearsal for Phillips, 51, the office’s No. 2 official. He is one of seven lawyers who have applied for the District’s U.S. attorney position, according to sources.
Phillips and the other candidates interviewed with Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton’s 17-member nominating commission earlier this week. The commission is expected to make its recommendations to Norton soon. Typically, the commission submits three names, but Norton has not said whether she will present President Barack Obama with the full slate or one candidate of her choosing.
Phillips (UVa, Howard Law) joined the office in 1994 as line prosecutor, after four years at Main Justice as a trial lawyer in the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Racketeering Section. He served as chief of staff and special counsel to the District's top prosecutor before then-U.S. Attorney Ken Wainstein tapped Phillips as principal assistant U.S. attorney in 2004. In addition to helping the U.S. attorney manage day-to-day operations, Phillips also serves as the office's chief spokesman.
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Well, the Overlord took care of that niggling bother. This ends any chances for review on the Obama eligibility Quo Warranto cases filed with Taylor's office.
~~PING!
Jeffrey A. Taylor, a Republican who was tapped by President George W. Bush to take the post in 2006, is stepping down today to take a job in the private sector, officials said. His resignation was expected.
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