Margaret E. Heap has been reappointed as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, following her selection by the judges of the U.S. District Court for the district. The swearing-in ceremony took place on December 15 in Savannah, with U.S. District Court Judge R. Stan Baker administering the oath.
“The excellent staff in the Southern District of Georgia and our outstanding law enforcement partners continue to work together to keep our communities safe,” said U.S. Attorney Heap. “I am honored to serve alongside these dedicated professionals on behalf of our citizens as we work together to uphold the law and defend access to justice throughout this district.”
Heap first assumed office as U.S. Attorney on August 18, 2025, after being appointed interim U.S. Attorney by Attorney General Pamela Bondi and was sworn in by Judge J. Randal Hall.
Her previous roles include serving as Chairman and Vice Chair of Georgia’s State Board of Pardons and Paroles, following an appointment by Governor Brian Kemp in January 2021. Heap began her legal career in 1986 as a Volunteer Coordinator and Victim Advocate with Chatham County’s Victim-Witness Assistance Program before earning her law degree from Mercer University Law School in 1992.
She later worked as an Assistant District Attorney in the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit and then served from 1995 to 2010 as both Assistant District Attorney and two-term District Attorney for the Eastern Judicial Circuit. In 2019, she was recognized as “District Attorney of the Year” by the District Attorneys’ Association of Georgia.
As chief federal law enforcement officer for the Southern District of Georgia, Heap oversees prosecutions across 43 counties that include cities such as Savannah, Augusta, Brunswick, Statesboro, Dublin, and Waycross. She leads a team responsible for prosecuting federal crimes and representing the United States in civil cases within a population area exceeding 1.6 million residents.
