The American prosecutor General Pam Bondi Thursday afternoon after the afternoon appointed the longtime prosecutor of San Diego, Adam Gordon, the American prosecutor of the southern district of California, making him the chief prosecutor and senior federal official of the application of the laws in San Diego and the Imperial Counties.
The title of Gordon will be delivered with an interim label, because it was not appointed by President Donald Trump or confirmed by the Senate, but he will have the full power which is accompanied by the position. Gordon, who should be sworn in Friday, replaces Andrew Haden, who had been an active American lawyer since February 12, when Trump dismissed Tara McGrath, who had been appointed by President Joe Biden.
Haden informed the change office in an email on Thursday evening.
Gordon was assistant prosecutor of the County of San Diego from 2009 to 2014 before spending about four years in private practice. He joined the office of the American lawyer in 2019. He did not occupy a surveillance role, but until recently was an opioid coordinator, which included prosecution by proliferating fentanyl merchants whose products have resulted in overdose.
“He is a terribly talented first instance lawyer – organized, ethical and working hard,” said Robert Brewer, who hired Gordon while he was a American lawyer during Trump’s first term. “He is a great prosecutor and chef … (and) one of the best hires I made.”
Since American lawyers are appointed politicians, turnover is common when a new administration takes the White House and the interim appointment of Gordon has followed a model similar to what has happened in recent weeks in federal districts across the country.
Some of the other acting lawyers recently appointed are considered mainly as Loyalists of Trump, such as the former personal lawyer of Trump and adviser to the White House, Alina Habba, who was appointed acting prosecutor for the New Jersey district despite the fact of never working as a prosecutor, said Carl Tobias, President of Williams in Law of Richmond.
But others recent interim appointed have been experienced and well -qualified career prosecutors said Tobias, who follows the appointments by American lawyer and federal judge.
“There does not seem to be a model entirely,” said Tobias, adding that it was not surprised that in the southern district of California, one of the most occupied in the country because of its proximity to the border, Bondi appointed an experienced American lawyer like Gordon.
Gordon would have been a leading candidate for the position in recent months and has close links with Brewer, Trump’s choice to lead the office during his first mandate. Gordon left the County Prosecutor’s Office in 2014 to work as Brewer campaign director for an unsuccessful offer for the district prosecutor, then joined the American prosecutor’s office five years later under the direction of Brewer.
Gordon began to continue lower levels like most other new American assistant lawyers before playing a leading role in office efforts to fight fentanyl.
“He did not expect to be promoted except on skills and capacity,” said Brewer. “He managed work like the others do without quick route to a supervision position.”
Former American deputy prosecutor Owen Roth worked with Gordon, in particular on fentanyl prosecution, until a few months ago when he left the office to start a private defense practice.
“According to my personal experience to work with Adam, I think he is honest, ethical, empathetic and that he understands the mission of the American lawyer’s office,” said Roth. “I plan that he will align the office to focus on the administration’s priorities (Trump), but will also expect it to respect the best traditions in the department in his direction.”
According to federal law, Gordon can serve as an acting prosecutor for the United States for only 120 days. After this period, judges of the region’s federal district can appoint an American lawyer. In all likelihood, the judges would name Gordon to continue playing this role until Trump appoints a candidate – who could be Gordon or someone else – and the Senate confirms this candidate.
This is what happened with Randy Grossman, who took over as an American lawyer in 2021 when Brewer resigned at the request of the Biden administration. Grossman served about 10 months as an acting American prosecutor before the Attorney General Merrick Garland named it as an interim prosecutor. When the interim appointment expired after 120 days, the district judges appointed him an American lawyer, a role he held for 18 months before just before McGrath was sworn.
Gordon graduated from the University of Harvard and the School of Law from the University of Virginia. In 2017, he asked for the appointment of the county supervisor council to be the acting district prosecutor after Bonnie Dumanis announced that she would resign. He promised that he would not present himself for the position in 2018 and urged all the other interim candidates to do the same, arguing that any candidate who presented himself for the position after being appointed would have an unjust electoral advantage. The Board of Directors ended up appointing Summer Stephan, the Dumanis sorted successor, who won the 2018 elections during an eruption.
Originally published:
California Daily Newspapers
