“Since the White House’s failure to name a capable U.S. Attorney nominee over 14 months has had a detrimental impact on cases before our courts, federal district judges in New Jersey have today exercised their lawful authority to appoint Robert Frazer, a longtime federal prosecutor, to lead the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey. While our repeated efforts to work with the President to appoint a qualified individual to the role, who could be confirmed by the Senate, were ignored or rebuffed, we support the District Court’s decision to fill the position and allow the U.S. Attorney’s Office to fulfill its critical law enforcement responsibilities before the people of New Jersey suffer any further harm.

“We remain deeply frustrated that the White House refused to engage in the normal process of consulting with home-state senators on this appointment. That process exists for a reason–it ensures that the people chosen to serve as our nation’s top prosecutors have the qualifications, independence, and commitment to justice that the job requires. None of this turmoil was necessary.

“For over a year, the Trump Administration did everything in its power to circumvent the law and sideline the Senate’s constitutional role to advise and consent on U.S. Attorneys. First, the Administration installed the President’s personal lawyer to lead the office, and when multiple federal courts found that appointment unlawful, the Administration cobbled together an unprecedented three-person leadership structure that was likewise struck down by the court. At every turn, this Administration chose loyalty over legality, and federal judges–appointed by presidents of both parties–rejected those unlawful maneuvers.

“The people of New Jersey deserve a U.S. Attorney’s Office focused on keeping them safe, not one mired in constitutional crisis because the Administration refused to follow the rule of law. The Office can now at long last move past the chaos and partisanship of the past year and return to its critical mission: combating violent crime, fighting public corruption, dismantling drug trafficking networks, and protecting the rights of all New Jerseyans.

“We look forward to meeting with Mr. Frazer to discuss how we can work together to best serve the people of our state.”

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