White House Announces Top DOJ Picks
Five new nominees were named today by the White House as desired appointees to top jobs at the U.S. Department of Justice.
For the department’s No. 2 post, newly sworn-in U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey has selected a federal district court judge in Chicago, Mark Filip, to be his deputy attorney general, reports the Associated Press. A magna cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School’s Class of 1992, he is a former partner of Skadden, Arps, Meagher & Flom, the New York City-based corporate powerhouse.
“He is a man of extreme integrity, intelligence and judgment, energy and commitment,” says Wayne Whalen, the partner in charge of Skadden’s office in Chicago.
The other new nominees:
Kevin O’Connor, the U.S. attorney in Connecticut, was tapped for the position of associate attorney general, the No. 3 job in the department. He has been serving as the attorney general’s chief of staff since the summer.
Gregory Katsas, who has been serving for several months as the associate attorney general, was selected as the assistant attorney general overseeing civil cases.
Grace Chung Becker, now a deputy in the civil rights division, is to be promoted to assistant attorney general in charge of the division.
Nathan Hochman, a former federal prosecutor now in private practice, was selected as assistant attorney general for tax issues.
