The timing of the appointments is crucial to Mr. Biden’s bid to curb gun violence and prosecute gun trafficking, the White House said in a statement announcing the nominations. Mr. Biden also tapped Carla B. Freedman, a prosecutor in the U.S. attorney’s office for the Northern District of New York, to lead the office, setting her up to be the first Senate-confirmed woman to fill the position. The other nominations include William J. Ihlenfeld II as the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia, Christopher R. Kavanaugh as the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia, Darcie N. McElwee as the U.S. attorney for the District of Maine, and William S. Thompson as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia. Many of the nominations were expected after senior lawmakers this year advised Mr. Biden on their picks for judges and U.S. attorneys. In March, Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, asked Mr. Biden to nominate both Mr. Williams and Mr. Peace, who is also Black, after a year in which mass protests across the country cast attention on racist policing tactics.

Source: New York Times August 10, 2021 22:00 UTC