President Donald Trump has stated he intends to nominate Attorney Mike Hurst of Madison and Attorney Chad Lamar of Oxford for Mississippi’s U.S. Attorney positions.
U.S. Senators Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) welcomed the nominations.
A White House statement issued Thursday announced the President’s choice of Hurst to be the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi and Lamar to be the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi.
Senators Cochran and Wicker recommended Hurst and Lamar, both of whom have served as Assistant U.S. Attorneys in their respective districts.
“I am pleased that Mike Hurst and Chad Lamar have been chosen for these important positions of public trust. Both are talented attorneys who are well-qualified to serve the nation and Mississippi well,” Cochran said. “I will do all I can to support the timely consideration of their nominations.”
“President Trump made the right call by nominating Hurst and Lamar to lead the U.S. Attorneys’ offices in Mississippi,” Wicker said. “These experienced men are up to the task at hand and have wide support across the state. I am hopeful that the Senate will take up their confirmation without delay.”
In their joint recommendation to the President, Cochran and Wicker said, “Mike and Chad are exceptionally well-qualified to take on the important and challenging role of U.S. Attorney. We are confident they would serve our state and our nation with integrity and enthusiasm.”
The Hurst and Lamar nominations are subject to Senate confirmation. Within their districts, U.S. Attorneys are responsible for being the chief prosecutors for the United States in criminal and civil law cases.
News Mississippi reached out to Attorney Mike Hurst, who could not comment further on the nomination.
Hurst is currently director of the Mississippi Justice Institute, a division of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy. He served as Assistant U.S. Attorney in Jackson from 2006 to 2015, working the criminal division. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s office, Hurst was legislative director and counsel to U.S. Representative Chip Pickering (R-Miss.), as well as counsel to the Constitution Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee. Hurst is a graduate of Millsaps College and the George Washington University Law School.
Lamar has served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District since 1991, serving in both the Criminal and Civil Divisions. He is currently the chief of the Criminal Division, and has extensive management experience within the Office of the U.S. Attorney. Lamar has degrees from Millsaps College, the University of Mississippi Lamar School of Law, and the Boston University School of Law.
