Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. today named 10 federal prosecutors to a group that advises the U.S. Justice Department on a wide variety of policy matters.
The nine U.S. attorneys and one assistant U.S. attorney will serve two-year terms on the Attorney General's Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys. In August, Holder named B. Todd Jones, U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota, as chair of the group.
Among the big names on the panel: Preet Bharara, the newly confirmed U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York; Patrick Fitzgerald, the U.S. attorney for the North District of Illinois, who previously sat on the panel; and Channing Phillips, the acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.
The panel, in existence since 1973, has wide latitude under federal regulations. It can weigh in on any policy or procedure, on department management, and on cooperation with state authorities. Its members serve at the pleasure of the attorney general, who in the case of Holder is a former member of the committee from his days as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.
In a statement, Holder said he will “rely heavily on these U.S. Attorneys as we work to further the Department’s efforts to reduce violent crime and gang violence, promote civil rights, ensure fairness in the marketplace and above all, preserve our national security.”
A spokeswoman did not immediately know the total number of committee members or who the previous members were. The regulations governing the advisory committee say it shall consist of an “appropriate number” of members.
After the jump, the new members.
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona Dennis Burke.
U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington Jenny Durkan.
U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Paul Fishman.
U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Patrick Fitzgerald.
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Neil MacBride.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Rhode Island Peter Neronha.
U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama Joyce Vance.
Acting U.S. Attorney, ex officio, for the District of Columbia Channing Phillips.
John Davis, criminal chief for the Eastern District of Virginia, representing assistant U.S. attorneys.
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