Erica H. MacDonald has taken the oath of office to become the United States Attorney for the District of Minnesota. U.S. Attorney MacDonald was nominated by President Donald Trump on April 10, 2018, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 24, 2018. She took the oath of office from U.S. District Court Chief Judge John R. Tunheim this morning. She succeeds Gregory Brooker who has served as the United States Attorney since March 2017.
“It is truly an honor to return to this office and serve as United States Attorney," said U.S. Attorney MacDonald. “I am looking forward to leading a team of dedicated professionals and working alongside our law enforcement partners in the pursuit of justice on behalf of all Minnesotans."
As United States Attorney, Ms. MacDonald is the top-ranking federal law enforcement official in the District of Minnesota. She will oversee a staff of 99 employees, including 52 attorneys and 47 support personnel. The office is responsible for prosecuting federal crimes in the district, including crimes related to terrorism, firearms, narcotics, child exploitation, human trafficking, financial fraud, healthcare fraud, and public corruption. The office is also responsible for representing the United States in affirmative and defensive civil cases, as well as assisting communities throughout Minnesota in appropriate community-building efforts designed to enhance public safety.
Before taking office, U.S. Attorney MacDonald was a judge in Dakota County since 2009. Prior to her judgeship, from 2000-2009, U.S. Attorney MacDonald served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and for the District of Minnesota. She began her legal career in 1997 as a judicial clerk to Judge James Henry Alesia of the U.S. District Court in Chicago. She then joined the firm of Kirkland and Ellis in 1999.
U.S. Attorney MacDonald received her J.D. degree, with honors, from DePaul University College of Law, and her B.A. degree from the University of Notre Dame.
Upon taking office, U.S. Attorney MacDonald thanked Mr. Brooker for his continued and dedicated service to the office and to the Department of Justice.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
