President Obama on Thursday nominated Oakland attorney Tony West, a former federal prosecutor and prolific Obama campaign fundraiser, to head the U.S. Department of Justice's civil division.
West, 43, is a litigation partner at Morrison & Foerster in San Francisco, representing people and companies in civil and criminal matters since 2001; perhaps his highest-profile case there has been helping to defend "American Taliban" John Walker Lindh.
West's office said he was traveling and unavailable for comment Thursday.
"The American people deserve to have faith that their Justice Department will keep them safe and uphold our most basic rights," Obama said of West's and other Justice appointments in a statement Thursday. "This group has the depth of experience and integrity necessary to accomplish these goals."
If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, West will be the assistant attorney general in charge of a division representing the United States, its departments and agencies, members of Congress, Cabinet officers and other federal employees in a wide range of litigation. The civil division's attorneys handle thousands of cases per year involving billions of dollars in claims and recoveries, dealing with significant policy issues often of constitutional dimensions.
Former California Assembly Speaker and former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, who said he's been a political mentor to West, said Thursday that the high-ranking job would be a big step for anybody "but particularly for a young man who has a 30- or 40-year career ahead of him."
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