Vermont Business Magazine US Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) and Vermont Governor Phil Scott (R) have recommended Burlington attorney Christina Nolan to President Trump to be Vermont’s next US Attorney. Nolan would be the 38th US Attorney in Vermont’s history and the first woman nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate for the position. She would lead an office of 45 employees, including 20 attorneys who represent the United States in criminal and civil litigation in Vermont.
US attorney is a political appointment typically of the same party as the president. Historically, a senior senator of the same party as the president would have his recommendation for the position put forward by the president to the US Senate for confirmation. However, Leahy is a Democrat and a harsh critic of Republican President Trump and of his Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
In a joint statement, Leahy and Scott said: “We are proud to join together to recommend to the President that Christina Nolan be nominated to be the next US Attorney for Vermont, the top federal law enforcement official in our state. A native Vermonter, Christina has served as an Assistant US Attorney in Vermont since 2010 and has proven to be a fair and tough prosecutor respected by law enforcement throughout the state. Christina is uniquely familiar with the many challenges brought by our state’s opioid crisis through her focus on heroin prosecutions and other drug-related crime. She recognizes that addiction is a pressing threat to the health of our state, and she will make dismantling trafficking organizations a top priority, as well as working side-by-side with partners in the prevention and treatment communities.”
Leahy and Scott added:“We were both impressed by Christina’s passion, thoughtfulness and leadership. If confirmed by the Senate, we know she would make our state proud, and we encourage the President to swiftly consider and nominate her for this important position.”
Prior to serving as a federal prosecutor, Nolan worked for the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office and at Goodwin Procter LLP in Boston. Nolan clerked for US District Court Judge F Dennis Saylor IV. She graduated Order of the Coif from Boston College Law School, and she graduated in the top one percent of her undergraduate class at the University of Vermont.
If confirmed, Nolan will fill the vacancy left by the departure of Eric Miller, Vermont’s 37th US Attorney, who resigned in February of this year. Eugenia AP Cowles has served as Acting US Attorney since that time.
Leahy and Scott forwarded Nolan’s name to the White House for the President’s consideration. As the senior senator from Vermont and the most senior Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee that considers nominations related to law enforcement, Leahy has the privilege of suggesting candidates for US Attorney and other positions in Vermont to the president.
Source: Scott and Leahy (WEDNESDAY, June 21, 2017)