A former federal prosecutor is set to make history by becoming the first Black leader to the nation’s highest-profile fortress of the Justice Department.
What We Know:
- On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer asked President Joe Biden to nominate Brooklyn-born federal prosecutor Damian Williams as the next Manhattan U.S. attorney. The Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office is considered one of the most independent and aggressive prosecutorial entities in the United States.
- If he is confirmed by Congress, the move will make Williams the first-ever Black Manhattan U.S. attorney in history. According to the New York Daily News, Williams is currently serving as chief of the securities and commodities fraud task force at the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office. The 40-year-old Brooklyn-native born from Jamaican immigrant parents has also served as an upscale business crime prosecutor in the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office since 2012. He also attended Harvard University as an undergrad and received his law degree from Yale.
- Schumer’s nomination described Williams as an individual who is “ready to take the helm to steer the Southern District forward into a bright future,” using “a strong commitment to equal justice.” While the White House did not return a request for comment, sources told the Daily News that Biden is likely to act on the request.
- Schumer’s recommendations could give two of the most coveted law enforcement jobs in News York City to two African American men. Bloomberg reports that the Senate Majority Leader also recommended Breon Peace as U.S. attorney in Brooklyn. Peace, who is also Black, is a former Brooklyn federal prosecutor who is now serving as a partner to a New York law firm.
Despite the strong backing, Williams must be formally nominated by the White House and face the Senate before consideration.
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