Race for Federal Attorney Heats Up.The long-delayed process to nominate the next U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. has reached the White House, with two prominent local attorneys appearing on the short list, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. L.A. legal sources. White House officials declined to name the candidates under review, but sources close to the process identified them as Thomas E. Holliday of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher and Vincent J. Marella of Bird Marella Boxer & Wolpert. The names were submitted by Gerald Parsky, a West L.A. financier who, after serving as President Bush's California campaign chairman, has the sole power to recommend candidates for U.S. Attorney posts and federal judgeships statewide. Parsky did not return phone calls last week. As the top federal law enforcement official in the sprawling seven-county area, the U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles wields enormous power. He has discretion over which cases referred by any federal agency - including the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was established in 1973 by President richard m. nixon as part of the Justice Department, thus uniting a number of federal drug agencies that had often worked at cross-purposes. and U.S. Customs Service - get investigated and prosecuted. "I don't think most people comprehend how independent these U.S. attorneys are," said David Burnbam, co-director of the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse in Syracuse, N.Y., which provides data on federal law enforcement agencies A law enforcement agency (LEA) is a term used to describe any agency which enforces the law. This may be a local or state police, federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). . "They're much more powerful than federal judges. They can do anything they want, and the only person who can fire them is the President," Burnham said. The new U.S. Attorney for the nation's second largest city will play an especially important role in the ongoing terrorism crisis. Last month, President Bush signed into law anti-terrorism legislation The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. that greatly expands federal policing powers to conduct electronic surveillance and detain immigrants. The attorney also will inherit a number of major cases in progress, among them the investigation of Credit Lyonnais and others suspected of committing fraud in connection with the 1991 sale of defunct Executive Life Insurance Co. The selection process, besides being protracted pro·tract tr.v. pro·tract·ed, pro·tract·ing, pro·tracts 1. To draw out or lengthen in time; prolong: disputants who needlessly protracted the negotiations. 2. due to the war on terrorism Terrorist acts and the threat of Terrorism have occupied the various law enforcement agencies in the U.S. government for many years. The Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, as amended by the usa patriot act , is considered unusual because it is typically the senior U.S. senator of the president's party who recommends candidates for U.S. Attorney. But since both of California's U.S. senators are Democrats, Bush delegated that power to Parsky, a wealthy financier who is chairman of Aurora Capital Partners in West Los Angeles
Under a power-sharing arrangement, Bush and Sens. Dianne Feinstein Dianne Goldman Berman Feinstein (born June 22, 1933) is the senior U.S. Senator from California, having held office as a senator since 1992. She is a member of the Democratic Party. and Barbara Boxer agreed to form a six-member Bipartisan Judicial Advisory Committee to recommend U.S. Attorney and federal judge candidates to Parsky, who then makes final recommendations to the White House. As with any nomination, political and other considerations might result in a last-minute dark-horse candidate. But several sources agreed that officials are focused on Holliday and Marella. Both are undergoing interviews and background checks. Holliday has powerful ties. Several of his former Gibson Dunn colleagues now hold high posts in the Bush administration. They include Parsky, Theodore Olson, who last June was confirmed as U.S. Solicitor General An officer of the U.S. Justice Department who represents the federal government in cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. The solicitor general is charged with representing the Executive Branch of the U.S. government in cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. , and Robert Bonner, former U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles who in September was confirmed as head of the U.S. Customs Service. Holliday, who did not return phone calls last week, has never been a federal, state or local prosecutor. He does have vast experience in federal court, defending individuals and corporations in major fraud cases. Among his clients have been Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss, former Congressman Jay Kim, General Dynamics Corp. and Rockwell International. Marella, who also declined comment, was an assistant U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles from 1972 to 1977, and since then has been defending clients in federal courts. "They're both terrific," said Laurie Levenson, a Loyola Law School Loyola Law School is the law school of Loyola Marymount University, a private Jesuit school in Los Angeles, California. Loyola was established in 1920. Like Loyola University Chicago School of Law and Loyola University New Orleans College of Law (separate and unaffiliated professor who was an assistant U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles from 1981 to 1989. "The only difference might be that Vince has been a federal prosecutor and Tom has not, but Tom has closer political ties." Two other candidates for U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles - Ventura County District Attorney Michael Bradbury and Assemblyman Rod Pacheco, R-Riverside - also have been interviewed recently in Washington, sources said, but neither of them is considered a likely pick. Other U.S. Attorney candidates being reviewed by Parsky, sources said, include Stephen Mansfield of Akin Gump Strauss Hauser & Feld, and Mark Holscher of O'Melveny & Myers. White House spokeswoman Mercy Viana refused to identify any candidates under review. "With any nomination, the White House looks for candidates with strong credentials, experience and high ethical standards," she said. Most candidates would face a salary cut if selected as U.S. Attorney, a post that pays about $125,000 a year. But a stint as U.S. Attorney can be a major career stepping stone. Robert Mueller, for example, was the U.S. Attorney in San Francisco before being named FBI director in July. Currently serving as U.S. Attorney in L.A. is career prosecutor John S. Gordon, who has been serving on an interim basis since Clinton appointee APPOINTEE. A person who is appointed or selected for a particular purpose; as the appointee under a power, is the person who is to receive the benefit of the trust or power. Alejandro Mayorkas stepped down in April. U.S. Attorney Candidates Although the job would mean a salary cut, U.S. attorneys are 'more powerful than federal judges.' Thomas E. Holliday Gibson Dunn & Crutcher Downtown L.A. Age: 53 Specialty: White-collar criminal defense and commercial fraud litigation An action brought in court to enforce a particular right. The act or process of bringing a lawsuit in and of itself; a judicial contest; any dispute. When a person begins a civil lawsuit, the person enters into a process called litigation. Background: Graduated from USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. Law Center, 1974... Joined Gibson Dunn out of law school... Deputy general counsel for Christopher Commission, 1991-92... Represented former Congressman Jay Kim on violations of federal campaign election laws... Represented Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss on money laundering The process of taking the proceeds of criminal activity and making them appear legal. Laundering allows criminals to transform illegally obtained gain into seemingly legitimate funds. , tax fraud and bank fraud charges... Has represented several defense contractors... Hobbies are collecting Kachina kachina (kəchē`nə), spirit of the invisible life forces of the Pueblo of North America. The kachinas, or kachinam, are impersonated by elaborately costumed masked male members of the tribes who visit Pueblo villages the first half of the dolls and power lifting... Married... Two grown children. Vincent J. Marella Bird Marella Boxer & Wolpert Century City Age: 55 Speciality: White-collar criminal defense Background: Graduated from Temple University School of Law, 1972... Assistant U.S. Attorney 1972-77, serving as assistant chief of the criminal division, 1976-77... Co-founded law firm Bird & Marella, 1977... Deputy general counsel to L.A. Police Commission on Rampart investigation, 2000... Has represented several large defense contractors, including Rockwell International, in government contract fraud cases... Has top secret clearance with Department of Justice... Married. |
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