[G]ov. Phil Scott and U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy say they will recommend Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina Nolan to be the next U.S. attorney for Vermont.
Nolan would be the first woman to serve as Vermont’s top federal prosecutor and would fill a position that Eric Miller vacated in February. Another assistant U.S. attorney, Eugenia Cowles, is currently acting U.S. attorney for Vermont.
The U.S. attorney’s office represents the federal government in criminal and civil cases. It has a staff of 45, including 21 attorneys.
Before joining the U.S. attorney’s office in 2010, Nolan worked as a deputy district attorney in the district attorney’s office in Middlesex, Massachusetts. Before that she worked for the Boston law firm Goodwin Procter LLP.
A native Vermonter, Nolan graduated from the University of Vermont before attending Boston College Law School.
In a joint statement Wednesday, Leahy and Scott said Nolan “has proven to be a fair and tough prosecutor,” and they urged President Donald Trump to nominate her for the position. If nominated, Nolan would need to be confirmed by the Senate.
“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,” the statement continues. “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.”
It’s tradition for the president to seek recommendations for U.S. attorney from the senior senator in a state as well as the top ranking member of the president’s party in that state.
Leahy, a Democrat, and Scott, a Republican, said they jointly forwarded Nolan’s name to the president for his consideration.
“I am very honored by the recommendation. It is a privilege to be considered for the position. At this time, I cannot make any further comment,” Nolan said in an email.
Nolan’s political affiliation is unclear, but she donated $300 to Scott’s campaign during the 2016 election cycle. There were no other donations listed for Nolan going back to the 2014 cycle in the secretary of state’s online database.
Miller resigned just before Trump called on 46 other U.S. attorneys who were holdovers from the Obama administration to submit their resignations in March.
The president has since nominated only eight candidates to replace those who have resigned, according to an Associated Press report. That first round of nominations was made earlier this month.
Nolan’s potential nomination could be dogged by questions about whether she would be willing to adhere to recent directives from U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions toughening the rules for prosecuting drug crimes.
Seven Days recently reported on a case where Nolan sought a 15-year sentence for a New York City man convicted of selling opiate painkillers when the potential maximum was 30 years.
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