Two Mississippians have been promoted to U.S. attorney positions following a Senate vote.
On Thursday, the congressional chamber approved the nominations of James “Baxter” and Scott Leary to serve as attorneys in Mississippi’s southern and northern district federal courts, respectively. Both were nominated by President Donald Trump over the summer.
Kruger, a graduate of Mississippi College School of Law, currently serves as executive director of the Mississippi Office of Homeland Security. Additionally, the Jackson native is chair of the Mississippi Cybersecurity Review Board and the Mississippi Wireless Commission.
He previously served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District’s criminal division. Pointing to his experience and efficiency as the state’s Homeland Security head, Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell had high praise for Kruger following the announcement of his nomination.
Leary, Trump’s nominee for U.S. attorney in the Northern District, graduated from the University of Mississippi School of Law and also has experience in the offices of U.S. attorneys. From 2002 to 2008, he worked in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Tennessee. He then moved into his current role as a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi.
Mississippi-based U.S. Senators Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith, both Republicans, issued the following joint statement following the confirmation of Kruger and Leary:
We are pleased to congratulate Baxter Kruger and Scott Leary for their confirmation to be United States Attorneys for Mississippi. With their legal and law enforcement experience, these men have developed deep knowledge of Mississippi precedent and have exhibited sound and fair judgment in their careers.
As they take on these new roles, we are confident in their leadership. We trust they will oversee federal investigations and criminal prosecutions in Mississippi with professionalism and respect for the rule of law.”
The two newly-minted U.S. attorneys will begin a term of four years or at the discretion of the president.