U.S. Department
of Justice
Former United States Attorneys
The United States Attorney
“The United States Attorney
is the representative not of an ordinary party to a controversy,
but of a sovereignty whose obligation to govern impartially is
as compelling as its obligation to govern at all;
and whose interest, therefore,
in a criminal prosecution is not that it shall win a case,
but that justice shall be done.
As such, he [or she] is in a peculiar and very definite sense the
servant of the law, the twofold aim of which
is that guilt shall not escape or innocence suffer.
He [or she] may prosecute with earnestness and vigor-
indeed, he [or she] should do so.
But, while he [or she] may strike hard blows,
he [or she] is not at liberty to strike foul ones.
It is as much his [or her] duty
to refrain from improper methods calculated to produce
a wrongful conviction as it is
to use every legitimate means to bring about a just one.”
Berger v. United States, 295 U.S. 78 (1935)
Former United States Attorneys1
| Joseph T. McNally^ | 01/17/2025 - 04/01/2025 |
| E. Martin Estrada* | 09/19/2022 - 01/17/2025 |
| Stephanie S. Christensen^ | 07/11/2022 - 09/16/2022 |
| Tracy L. Wilkison^ | 01/09/2021 - 07/01/2022 |
| Nicola T. Hanna* | 01/05/2018 - 01/08/2021 |
| Sandra R. Brown^ | 03/10/2017 - 01/04/2018 |
| Eileen M. Decker* | 06/11/2015 – 03/10/2017 |
| Stephanie Yonekura^ | 08/08/2014 - 06/10/2015 |
| André Birotte, Jr.* | 03/04/2010 – 08/08/2014 |
| George S. Cardona^ | 09/02/2009 – 03/03/2010 |
| Thomas P. O’Brien* | 10/05/2007 - 09/01/2009 |
| George S. Cardona | 11/18/2006 – 10/04/2007 |
| Debra Wong Yang* | 05/20/2002 - 11/17/2006 |
| John S. Gordon | 04/21/2001 – 05/17/2002 |
| Alejandro N. Mayorkas* | 12/21/1998 - 04/20/2001 |
| Nora M. Manella* | 01/03/1994 - 12/20/1998 |
| Terree Bowers | 09/09/1992 - 01/02/1994 |
| Lourdes G. Baird* | 07/20/1990 - 09/08/1992 |
| Robert L. Brosio | 12/01/1989 - 07/20/1990 |
| Gary A. Feess | 06/16/1989 - 11/30/1989 |
| Robert C. Bonner* | 02/15/1984 - 06/16/1989 |
| Alexander H. Williams, III | 07/29/1983 - 02/15/1984 |
| Stephen S. Trott* | 12/28/1981 - 07/29/1983 |
| Alexander H. Williams, III^ | 12/11/1981 - 12/28/1981 |
| Andrea S. Ordin* | 10/21/1977 - 12/11/1981 |
| Robert L. Brosio^ | 07/25/1977 - 10/20/1977 |
| William D. Keller* | 01/06/1972 - 10/20/1977 |
| Robert L. Meyer* | 05/18/1970 - 01/01/1972 |
| William Matthew Byrne, Jr.* | 03/26/1967 - 05/18/1970 |
| John K. Van de Kamp* | 11/04/1966 - 03/25/1967 |
| Manuel L. Real*2 | 11/12/1964 - 11/03/1966 |
| Thomas R. Sheridan | 10/15/1962 - 11/12/1964 |
| Francis C. Whelan | 04/27/1961 - 10/14/1964 |
| Laughlin E. Waters | 07/31/1953 - 04/27/1961 |
| Walter Binns | 12/03/1951 - 07/31/1953 |
| Ernest A. Tolin | 10/26/1949 - 12/03/1951 |
| James M. Carter | 06/17/1946 - 10/25/1949 |
| Charles H. Carr | 06/01/1943 - 06/15/1946 |
| Leo V. Silverstein | 09/04/1942 - 05/31/1943 |
| William Fleet Palmer | 07/01/1940 - 09/03/1942 |
| Ben Harrison | 08/14/1937 - 06/30/1940 |
| Peirson M. Hall | 05/01/1933 - 08/13/1937 |
| John Rose Laying | 03/08/1933 - 05/01/1933 |
| Samuel W. McNabb | 02/02/1925 - 03/01/1933 |
| Joseph C. Burke | 12/22/1921 - 02/01/1925 |
| J. Robert O’Conner | 10/02/1917 - 12/21/1921 |
| Albert Schoonover | 07/28/1913 - 10/01/1917 |
| Oscar Lawler | 12/19/1905 - 04/18/1909 |
| Louis H. Valentine | 12/17/1901 - 12/18/1905 |
| Frank P. Flint | 04/08/1897 - 12/16/1901 |
| George J. Denis | 03/30/1893 - 04/07/1897 |
| Matthew T. Allen | 01/29/1892 - 03/29/1893 |
| Aurelus H. Hutton | 08/14/1889 - 02/05/1890 |
| George J. Denis | 05/08/1888 - 08/12/1889 |
1 Presidentially appointed United States Attorneys are noted with an asterisk (*) after their name. Acting United States Attorneys are designated by a caret sign (^).
2 On September 18, 1966, the Central District of California was created from portions of the Southern District of California.