The Office of the United States Attorneys has 94 offices (led by 93 Attorneys) across the U.S., Puerto Rico, Guam, Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Each U.S. Attorney is appointed to these districts by the President for a four-year term, and each official serves as the top federal law enforcement officer in their district, and has historically had significant latitude over policy implementation within the district’s borders.
Under Trump, these officials will serve as the frontlines of federal policy implementation on many parts of the President’s agenda, including on issues like immigration and how (or if) Trump seeks to actualize his threats against his own political opponents.
We will continue to update the full list of who is occupying these offices here.
Actings vs Interim?
- The traditional procedural mechanism for filling vacancies in the Executive Branch comes from the Vacancies Act. That act dictates that when a vacancy occurs, any officer that is a “First Assistant” to the vacant position by default fills that position. For U.S. Attorneys, the eligible official is typically the office’s Assistant U.S. Attorney. Like all positions filled by the Vacancies Act, U.S. Attorneys are time-limited by a 210-day countdown starting at the time the vacancy occurs. Acting U.S. Attorneys are trusted with the full powers and authorities of the position, though may be considered limited in the implementation of unique policy goals by virtue of their temporary status.
- There is also an unusual mechanism for filling vacant positions in U.S. Attorney offices which is the “interim” position. Interim U.S. Attorneys are named by the Attorney General, and also serve with the full authorities and powers of the office. Unlike Actings, who must meet a certain number of requirements laid out in the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, the Attorney General can appoint almost anyone to the role, granted that the individual has not been previously nominated to the position by the President and rejected by the Senate. The timeline of interim U.S. Attorneys is also distinct; Interim U.S. Attorneys can only serve for 120 days in their appointed position. However, upon the expiry of the 120 days, the relevant U.S. District Court can either reappoint the Interim U.S. Attorney to an indefinite term in the position, or make its own appointment. For both, an Interim U.S. Attorney appointed by a U.S. District Court can serve indefinitely until the vacancy is filled through the Senate-confirmation process.
Why it Matters
- U.S. Attorneys hold significant power, and have historically been granted significant autonomy when it comes to federal prosecutorial policy in their districts. They decide which cases to take on, which charges to pursue, and the recommended sentences to pursue. This autonomy lends U.S. Attorneys significant influence over how the laws and policies of any given administration are implemented on-the-ground in states and localities.
- The Department of Justice has customarily maintained a degree of independence from the President in order to protect the integrity of the legal system and to avoid politicizing the law. The Trump administration has spent its second term decrying this separation, advocating instead for the rote installation of loyalists across the department and the judiciary writ large in order to use the law as a political bludgeon in its war against the administration’s perceived enemies. While Trump has been directing this rhetoric primarily towards federal judges for now, his administration has simultaneously subtly been installing sycophants in U.S. Attorney’s offices across the country. When the only qualification to be a U.S. Attorney is that one is more loyal to Trump than to the rule of law, the inevitable consequence is the corruption of the very basis of the American legal system, and a death knell for the idea that no one is above the law.
The Interims
Edward R. Martin, Jr., Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia
- Perhaps the most high-profile of the Trump Administration’s U.S. Attorneys, Edward Martin has quickly become notorious for his unprecedented remarks on the role and responsibilities of the office, his inflammatory actions within it, and his sycophantic relationship to Trump. Named Interim U.S. Attorney for D.C. on January 20th, Martin has made headlines for seemingly threatening legal action against people who accurately report information about Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employees and activities, firing dozens of federal prosecutors who handled January 6th cases and demoting several more, sending unprecedented letters to Democrats announcing “investigations” for previous comments about Republicans, and referring to U.S. Attorneys as “President Trump’s lawyers.” Prior to his time helming the office, Martin was a 2020-election denier, ardent defender of January 6th rioters, and a professional “provocateur.”
Walter Jay Clayton, Nominee for U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York
- Jay Clayton was officially nominated to lead the Southern District of New York on January 20, 2025. If confirmed, Clayton will lead one of the most prestigious and significant U.S. Attorney’s offices, one with a reputation of distinction from the White House and a dedication to the prosecution of public corruption. This reputation is particularly relevant these days as Trump was famously convicted of 34 felonies in New York in 2024, and the President has continuously threatened the officials who have prosecuted him, including Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Clayton, for his part, has long been a close adviser to Donald Trump, and was Chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission during the first Trump Administration. As Chair, Clayton was regarded as pro-Wall Street by many, and prior to his stint at the agency, he worked with big banks—including advising Barclays Capital in its purchase of Lehman Brothers’ assets in 2008 and Bear Stearns in its sale to JPMorgan Chase in 2007 at the height of the financial crisis. Following his tenure at the SEC, Clayton joined a “regulatory advisory council” for One River Digital Asset Management. One River is a hedge fund with a reputation for investing in cryptocurrencies, and the “advisory council” was tasked with providing advice in navigating regulation for bitcoin and other digital assets.
Joseph Nocella Jr., Anticipated U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York
- Joseph Nocella Jr. has not been formally named to the office, but Donald Trump did announce his intent to nominate Nocella in January of 2025. The Eastern District is another particularly significant U.S. Attorney’s office, historically handling a slate of “high-profile cases involving organized crime, national security and foreign politicians.” Nocella is little-known outside of Nassau County, Long Island, but is an active force within the Nassau Republican Party machine that reportedly helped secure his nomination and has ticked increasingly right in previous years.
Nicholas Ganjei, Interim U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas
- Nicholas Ganjei was appointed by Acting Attorney General James McHenry to lead the Southern District of Texas on January 29, 2025. The Southern District of Texas is one of the most active U.S. Attorney’s offices and typically prosecutes more criminal cases than most other districts. The office functions across 43 counties, and includes a huge swath of Texas’ southern border. As such, the office is expected to play a significant role in the enforcement of Trump’s extreme immigration policies. Ganjei, for his part, was formerly the Chief Counsel to U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, who has routinely peddled inflammatory and malicious anti-immigrant rhetoric. Ganjei has also given a series of presentations at the Federalist Society, mostly concerning judicial nominations, and was a James Madison Fellow from 2022-2023 at Hillsdale College.
Leah Foley, Interim U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts
- Leah Foley was appointed by Acting Attorney General James McHenry to lead the U.S. Attorneys office of Massachusetts on January 20, 2025. Foley has spent most of her career in the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s office. Foley has also stated that she intends to ask Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to keep suspects who may be subject to deportation in Massachusetts long enough for her to prosecute them. Foley has stated that it is “no fun when you do the investigation and you get the arrest and the investigation is completed and then you can’t go forward because another agency has deported the person.”
Michael J. Heyman, Interim U.S. Attorney for Alaska
- Michael J. Heyman was appointed by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to lead the District of Alaska on February 28, 2025. Heyman was sworn in by U.S. District Judge Burgess on March 3, 2025. Heyman first joined the DOJ in 2012, serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of California. Heyman said he was “[looking] forward to implementing the new administration’s priorities…” during his swearing in.
Timothy Courchaine, Interim U.S. Attorney for Arizona
- Timothy Courchaine was appointed by U.S. Attorney General Pam Pondi to lead the District of Arizona on February 28, 2025. Courchaine previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for Arizona since 2020, and served as law clerk in the Arizona Supreme Court. Courchaine’s appointment raised concerns that choosing an insider from the Arizona USAO would fail to bring the necessary changes to address the office’s inefficiencies in managing its heavy caseload. The Arizona office handles a large number of cases involving border crossings and is expected to play a leading role in enforcing the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
Steven D. Weinhoeft, Interim U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois
- Steven Weinhoeft was appointed as interim U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois by Attorney General Pam Bondi on February 28, 2025. Weinhoeft previously held this position from 2018-2022. Weinhoeft has been with the Southern District of Illinois since 2008, serving as First Assistant District Attorney and Chief of the Criminal Division.
Kelly O. Hayes, Interim U.S. Attorney for Maryland
- Kelly O. Hayes was appointed the interim U.S. Attorney for Maryland by Attorney General Pam Bondi on March 3, 2025. Hayes began with the District of Maryland in 2013 as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, and served as the Chief of the District’s Southern Division since 2021.
Kurt G. Alme, Interim U.S. Attorney for Montana
- Kurt G. Alme was appointed and sworn in as interim U.S. Attorney General for Montana by Attorney General Pam Bondi on March 17, 2025. Alme previously served as Montana’s U.S. Attorney General from 2017 to 2020. After his first term, Alme held the position of executive vice president for planned giving at the National Christian Foundation (NCF). According to reporting by Newsweek, the NCF has donated millions of dollars to organizations labeled hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Two of these organizations, Alliance Defending Freedom and the Family Research Council, sat on the Project 2025 advisory board.
John Giordano, Interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey
- John Giordano was sworn in as interim United States Attorney for New Jersey, as appointed by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, on March 3, 2025. Giordano is a Philadelphia-based attorney and longtime Trump loyalist who was part of the Trump transition team, and represented the U.S. at the United Nations during Trump’s first term. Giordano is also a former Assistant commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental under former-New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. UPDATE: Giordano will now depart New Jersey’s U.S. Attorneys office to take on a new job as the U.S. Ambassador to Namibia.
Alina Habba, Presumptive Interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey
- Alina Habba was announced in March as Trump’s latest prospective pick to be the Interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey. Habba is a former private attorney for President Trump, who has previously represented him in a slate of his personal legal proceedings, including the E. Jean Carroll defamation case that the President lost. Habba, notably, has no prosecutorial experience, and is known for her “pugilistic, openly political style.” Prior to the announcement, Habba was serving as Trump’s presidential counselor.
John A. Sarcone III, U.S. Interim Attorney for the Northern District of New York
- John A. Sarcone III was named the interim United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on March 4, 2025, and was sworn in to the office on March 17, 2025. Sarcone is a New York native, and an alum of the first Trump administration’s General Services Administration. Sarcone, notably, has no previous prosecutorial experience. While being sworn in, Sarcone promised to use the office to “keep our northern border secure,” and issued threats to university administrators and students “who knowingly support any violations in any way, shape or form.” Syracuse.com has also previously reported that Sarcone has previously tweeted that former-President Biden should be “tried for treason,” that Hillary Clinton should be jailed for treason, that former-President Obama should be “the first illegal alien deported.”
Michael DiGiacomo, Interim U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York
- Michael DiGiacomo was named the interim United States Attorney for the Western District of New York by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on February 28, 2025. DiGiacomo was sworn in to the office on March 3, 2025. DiGiacomo is a longtime Assistant U.S. Attorney for the district, and has spent 23 years in the office.
Russ Ferguson, Interim U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina
- Russ Ferguson was named the interim United States Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on March 3, 2025. Ferguson was sworn into the office on March 11, 2025. Ferguson began his career in the U.S. Attorney’s office of the District of Columbia, and was later a partner in the law firm of Womble Bond Dickinson.
David Metcalf, Interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- David Metcalf was nominated and sworn in to be interim United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on March 11, 2025. Metcalf has also been nominated by President Trump to the position for a four year term. Metcalf was previously a counselor to the United States Attorney General, including Bill Barr, during the first Trump administration, and was also an Assistant U.S. Attorney from 2020-2022. Most recently Metcalf was Corporate Counsel for Government and Regulatory Litigation for Amazon.
Bilal A. Essayli, Interim U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California
- Bilal A. Essayli was named Interim U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California in April 2025. Essayli is a former two-term California state legislator known for his promulgation of rightwing talking points and culture wars rhetoric, particularly that demeaning transgender people and their families. Essayli is also known for getting in contentious arguments with his colleagues, failing to show up for subcommittee hearings, and otherwise hyper-politicizing his role and activities.
Gregory Kehoe, Interim U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida
- Gregory Kehoe was named Interim U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida by Attorney General Pam Bondi. Kehoe is a Florida-based longtime alum of the Department of Justice who is also known for defending Mohammed Hussein Ali and Ante Gotovina before the International Criminal Tribunal against charges including crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Sigal Chattah, Interim U.S. Attorney for Nevada
- Sigal Chattah was sworn in as the Interim U.S. Attorney for Nevada in April 2025. Chattah is known as an extreme partisan and longtime Trump loyalist. In 2020, Chattah represented one of Nevada’s “fake electors,” who submitted a falsified certificate to Congress claiming Donald Trump won the 2020 Presidential Election, and has continuously sought to attack Nevada’s election laws. Chattah also ran in the state’s attorney general election in 2022—wherein she made extremely racist “comments about her Democratic opponent, Attorney General Aaron Ford, including saying that Ford, who is Black, should be ‘hanging from a (expletive) crane.’” Chattah has also yet to resign her “position as the state’s Republican national committeewoman and was introduced virtually at a state party meeting Saturday, potentially violating Department of Justice rules against its employees participating in political activities.”
Joseph C. Murphy, Jr., Interim U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee
- Joseph C. Murphy, Jr., was sworn in as Interim U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee in April. Murphy is a longtime member of the U.S. Attorney’s office, beginning his career there in 1989.
Holdovers From the First Trump Administration
- Prim F. Escalona, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama
- Escalona was appointed by then-Attorney General William Barr on July 16, 2020, and has served in the Department of Justice’s powerful Office of Legal Policy and Office of Legal Affairs, and is a former clerk of William Pryor Jr.
- Sayler A. Fleming, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri
- Fleming was appointed by then-Attorney General William Barr on December 11, 2020
- Shawn N. Anderson, U.S. Attorney for Guam & the Northern Mariana Islands
- Anderson was appointed by Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood on May 4, 2018
- W. Stephen Muldrow, U.S. Attorney for Puerto Rico
Muldrow was appointed by Donald Trump, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on September 26, 2019.