U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Gov. Phil Scott have recommended that Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina Nolan become Vermont’s next U.S. Attorney.
Nolan, a graduate of the University of Vermont and Boston College Law School, would become the first woman to hold the top federal prosecutor’s job in Vermont if she is nominated by President Donald Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
In a joint statement, Leahy and Scott called Nolan a “fair and tough” prosecutor.
“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,” they wrote. “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.”
Nolan did not immediately respond to a request for comment. She would become Vermont’s 38th U.S. Attorney.
Before taking a job as a federal prosecutor, Nolan worked for the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts and at a private firm, Goodwin Procter LLP, in Boston.
The permanent U.S. Attorney’s position in Burlington has been vacant since former U.S. Attorney Eric Miller resigned in February. In his resignation letter, Miller took jabs at Trump’s policies on immigration and refugees.
Another longtime assistant federal prosecutor, Eugenia Cowles, is serving as the acting head of the office, which has 45 employees — including 20 attorneys. It’s responsible for prosecuting federal crimes and representing the federal government in civil litigation in Vermont.
As Seven Days reported last month, Nolan was one of a few rumored nominees.
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has instructed federal prosecutors to seek the most severe charges and sentences, which experts say would be a dramatic departure from how the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Vermont currently handles most cases.
Nolan’s political affiliation was not immediately clear.
Traditionally, senior U.S. senators suggest nominees for U.S. Attorney positions in their states.
Leahy is also the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Presidents also usually rely on guidance from the senior member of their party in nominating a U.S. Attorney.
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Let’s hope President Trump does not follow tradition nor elevate any current federal prosecutor in the Burlington Office of the United States Attorney of Vermont. Justice is rigged in Vermont thanks to Senator Leahy and we simply cannot take a chance on another federal prosecutor “selectively” enforcing federal fraud laws as Vermont is fraud-ridden from Burlington to Brattleboro. I’m at a loss how two successive United States Attorney’s nominated by Senator Leahy (Tristram Coffin and Eric Miller), along with Assistant United States Attorney Nikolas “Kolo” Kerest and Special Agent Jennie Emmons of the FBI can sleep at night knowing they turned their back on many hundreds of patients who were denied the return of their patient credit balances for a decade. Yes, the state and federal governments have had the evidence to confirm since April 2013 and have done nothing. It is my hope that the next United States Attorney for Vermont along with Attorney General TJ Donovan can summon the courage that I have demonstrated the last six years to honor the law and jail historic crooks at the Brattleboro Retreat. If we can imprison folks for mental health and substance abuse related crimes at the Southern State Correctional Facility often without adequate care, why then can’t we jail those who steal from the same population at the Brattleboro Retreat?
I think the headline is supposed to read: “tap” not “tab”