News Summary
President Donald Trump has nominated James Baxter Kruger and Scott Leary as U.S. Attorneys for Mississippi, a major leadership shift in the state’s federal legal offices. Kruger will lead the Southern District, while Leary is nominated for the Northern District. Their confirmations are pending Senate approval. Current U.S. Attorney Todd Gee announced his resignation effective January 2025, making way for new leadership in federal law enforcement that could reshape priorities in Mississippi.
Jackson, Mississippi — President Donald Trump has announced the nomination of James Baxter Kruger and Scott Leary as U.S. Attorneys for Mississippi, marking a significant change in the leadership for the state’s federal legal offices. Kruger is set to take charge as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi, while Leary has been nominated for the Northern District of Mississippi. Both nominees are slated to serve four-year terms pending approval from the U.S. Senate.
The nominations will require the Senate’s advice and consent, with hearings likely to be held under the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is chaired by Iowa Republican Senator Chuck Grassley. The confirmation process is anticipated to follow typical procedures but can vary significantly based on the political climate and committee schedules.
James Baxter Kruger, the nominee for the Southern District, currently serves as the Executive Director of the Mississippi Office of Homeland Security, a role he assumed in November 2021. Before his position in homeland security, he worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney within the Criminal Division for the Southern District from 2019 to 2021. Kruger has been actively involved in legal matters and public service, having enlisted in the Mississippi Army National Guard in 2007 and receiving a commission into the Judge Advocate General’s Corps in 2015.
Scott Leary, nominated for the Northern District of Mississippi, is presently an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Oxford office. His career includes experience from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Tennessee, where he worked from 2002 to 2008 before moving to Mississippi. His professional journey highlights a solid background in federal law enforcement and prosecution.
Todd Gee has dedicated over 17 years to the U.S. Department of Justice, contributing as Deputy Chief of the Public Integrity Section within the Criminal Division and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Columbia before assuming his role as U.S. Attorney. Throughout his tenure, he supervised numerous investigations and prosecutions of federal crimes in the Southern District of Mississippi, which comprises 45 counties, including Warren, Hinds, Sharkey, Issaquena, Yazoo, and Claiborne counties.
Gee, a graduate of both George Washington University and Tulane Law School, emphasized that serving as U.S. Attorney has been the pinnacle of his public service career. He expressed his gratitude toward President Biden for his nomination and acknowledged Attorney General Garland’s support for the Southern District during his time in office.
The upcoming transitions within the U.S. Attorney’s offices in Mississippi signal a potential shift in priorities and approaches to federal law enforcement in the state, depending on the policies of the incoming nominees and the political landscape ahead.
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Additional Resources
- Magnolia Tribune: Trump Nominates Kruger, Leary for U.S. Attorneys in Mississippi
- WAPT: Todd Gee Resigning as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi
- WDAM: U.S. Attorney Todd Gee Resigning Effective Jan 17
- New York Times: Trump, U.S. Attorneys, Justice Department
- Encyclopedia Britannica: U.S. Attorney
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