Joyce Vance nominated by President Obama for U.S. attorney post in North Alabama

[trof]

Source: Birmingham News

Obama nominee next faces Senate confirmation
Saturday, May 16, 2009
MARY ORNDORFF
News Washington correspondent

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama on Friday announced his intent to nominate Joyce Vance to be U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Alabama.

Vance, 48, is chief of the appellate division in the office, where she has worked since 1991. The formal nomination is expected to be sent to the U.S. Senate when it reconvenes early next week. If confirmed, she would replace U.S. Attorney Alice Martin, who was appointed by President George W. Bush.

Vance was the top pick of a judicial advisory panel assembled by U.S. Rep. Artur Davis, D-Birmingham, which forwarded her name to the White House for consideration. Vance was also recommended by a separate panel created by the Alabama Democratic Party, indicating broad support in both legal and political arenas.

Her nomination will first be reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee, where Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., is the ranking Republican member. From there, her name would go to the full Senate for a vote.

Read more: http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/metro.ssf?/base/news/1242461777135500.xml&coll=2

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Alice Martin is the U.S. Attorney who initially brought charges against Don Siegelman.
This bodes well.

[L. Coyote]

1. Why wasn't Alice Martin asked to resign on Day One? Incredible!!!

[Faygo Kid]

2. Interesting article on Vance here (calls Alice Martin a "hack"). She sounds qualified.

Alice Martin was no doubt picked because she would do Rove's bidding. Vance sounds highly qualified. Interesting to know that her father-in-law was a judge killed by a mail bomb:

If we have learned anything over the past eight years of George W. Bush's reign, it is this: The appointment of U.S. attorneys is a hugely important decision.

Your district can wind up with a noble public servant who truly serves the interests of justice. Or you can wind up with a political hack--someone like Bush appointees Alice Martin (Northern District of Alabama) and Leura Canary (Middle District of Alabama).

It looks like the new U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, based in Birmingham, will be one of two people--Joyce White Vance or James R. Sturdivant.

Vance and Sturdivant appear to have solid resumes, but I wonder if our process for selecting U.S. attorneys could stand some tweaking--both in Alabama and elsewhere. More on that in a moment.

The Birmingham News reports that four lawyers applied for the position by the December 31 deadline. Joining Vance and Sturdivant are Glenda Freeman and Michele Nicrosi. Freeman has been a lawyer with the Legal Aid Society of Birmingham, and Nicrosi is a Mobile-based lawyer who applied for the top jobs in all three Alabama districts. Neither Freeman nor Nicrosi responded to efforts to reach them, and it appears that Vance and Sturdivant have the credentials and the clout to make it a two-person race.

Vance is the wife of Jefferson County Circuit Judge Robert Vance Jr., and her father-in-law was U.S. Circuit Judge Robert Vance, who was killed in a mail-bomb attack in 1989.

Joyce Vance, 48, has worked with the U.S. attorney's office in Birmingham since 1991 and has been chief of the appellate division since 2005. . .

http://legalschnauzer.blogspot.com/2009/01/future-of-justice-in-north-alabama-and.html

[pkdu]

3. It bodes well indeed .....for an almighty pissing contest...

Dont get me wrong Alice Martin should be fired/replaced ...but Sessions et al are going to go balistic....grab the popcorn and take seat :popcorn:

[trof]

5. That will sure be some great repug feigned outrage theater.

Session is one of my senators.
What a dweeb.

[EFerrari]

4. I'm afraid the process will be too late for Don. But good to see, anyway.

:(

[MurrayDelph]

8. Not necessarily

Couldn't they do for him what they did for Ted Stevens: admit that their case was flawed and they would like to withdraw the complaint?

(edited for spelling. Homonyms: the Devil's volleyball)

[EFerrari]

10. I don't know. You'd need to ask merh or someone who understands it

better than I do.

[merh]

12. No, at this stage, the US Attorney could not withdraw the charges

Siegelman was convicted by a jury and the appellate courts have reviewed the issues and have upheld the majority of his convictions.

The new US Attorney, could withdraw the request made last week that his sentence be increased to 20 years.

Right now Siegelman's next step would be appeal to SCOTUS. If he doesnt seek an appeal and/or if SCOTUS does not grant cert (doesn't agree to hear his appeal) then his option would be to seek clemency or seek to have his sentence commuted.

From what I understand, the DOJ's Office of Professional Responsibility is reviewing his case and the allegations of prosecutorial misconduct.

[BlueJessamine]

6. K&R n/t.

[aquart]

7. Will this aggravate Sessions into apoplexy?

We all have goals.

[Ellipsis]

9. Coolness. Here's the list of the first six replacements..

The White House announced Friday President Obama plans to nominate Preet Bharara, Tristram Coffin, Jenny Durkan, Paul Fishman, John Paul Kacavas and Joyce Vance for U.S. Attorney posts.





http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/05/15/white-house-announces-names-for-u-s-attorneys/





.

[merh]

11. what about the evil one, Leura Canary?

Any word yet if her replacement has been found?