Will Thompson announced Tuesday that he has concluded his term as United States Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia.
Thompson was nominated for the office by former President Joe Biden in August 2021, and formally took office that October. Before that appointment, the West Virginia native served as a circuit court judge and practiced law in Boone County. He is also an alumnus of West Virginia University (WVU) and the WVU College of Law.
Thomspon’s announcement comes as President Donald Trump has moved to oust U.S. Attorneys appointed during the Biden administration. This week, Trump told the U.S. Department of Justice to terminate those that remain.
Several Biden-tapped U.S. Attorneys have already stepped down, including William Ihlenfeld. Ihlenfeld served as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia from August 2010 to December 2016, then assumed the office again in October 2021. But he stepped down from the role last month.
U.S. Attorneys often step down at the start of a new presidential administration. But Reuters reports that former Justice Department lawyers say outgoing U.S. Attorneys are typically asked to step down, not threatened with termination.
The president has the authority to appoint judges to vacant U.S. Attorney offices.
In a statement Tuesday, Thompson thanked Biden and former Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., for their roles in his appointment to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He said his proudest accomplishments from his tenure include a decrease in overdose deaths in southern West Virginia, a reduction in overall crime and a “vigorous review process” in his office’s cases.
“The people of this office are the true backbone of federal prosecution and representation in this district,” Thompson said. “They all serve with dignity and respect for the rule of law. They are vital to the mission of the Department of Justice, which is to keep our communities safe.”
