Court Appoints Taylor

Jeffrey Taylor will remain interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia for the forseeable future. Chief Judge Thomas Hogan, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, announced today that the court has voted to continue Taylor’s appointment.

“By all accounts, Jeff Taylor has done an outstanding job of managing the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and has worked closely with the community to address the problems and concerns of its citizens. We look forward to working with him and his staff in the months ahead,” Hogan said in an e-mailed statement.

The court appointment means that Taylor, whose nomination is pending in the Senate, will likely serve for the remainder of President Bush’s second term. Taylor was first appointed in September 2006, before Congress revoked an unnoticed provision of the Patriot Act that allowed the attorney general to fill vacancies in the U.S. attorneys’ offices without Senate confirmation. Bush signed the bill striking the provision in June, reinstating the traditional 120-day half-life on interim appointments.

Once the 120 days are up, it falls on the federal district judges to decide whether to continue the interim appointments in their jurisdictions or select new U.S. attorneys. Taylor’s term was set to expire on Friday.

In an e-mail, Taylor said, "I am honored and appreciate the vote of confidence given by the court. I look forward to working with the many talented members of the U.S. Attorney's Office in continuing to build on the successes of my predecessors."

In the past few weeks, at least three other courts have elected to hold on to their interim U.S. attorneys. Here's our running tally.