Sen. Chuck Grassley today encouraged Iowans who are interested in applying for a U.S. attorney or U.S. marshal post in Iowa to contact his office.
President-elect Bush is expected to replace the two U.S. marshals and two U.S. attorneys now serving in Iowa. Grassley has urged Bush to keep the current attorneys and marshals on the job until replacements are named so that the positions are not left vacant for an extended period of time as happened when President Clinton took office in 1993, and immediately dismissed the law enforcement officials.
Grassley said that he has had a number of requests from individuals seeking his support for their applications for these positions. Today, he said he wants to make sure that all Iowans are aware of the opportunity to serve. He invited those making application to let him know of their interest by writing to him at 135 Hart Building, Washington, DC 20510-1501. Grassley said he plans to recommend three Iowans for each of the four positions.
The Justice Department enforces the laws of the United States by dividing the country into 94 districts. Each of these districts is headed by a U.S. attorney, and each U.S. attorney is a semi-autonomous decision-maker for his or her district. The U.S. attorney general rarely directly influences law enforcement in any of these districts.
The U.S. Marshals Service is the nation's oldest federal law enforcement agency. It has been a link between the executive and judicial branches of government since 1789. The Marshals Service is responsible for providing support and protection for the federal courts; apprehending federal fugitives; operating the federal witness security program; maintaining custody of and transporting thousands of federal prisoners annually; executing court orders and arrest warrants; managing and selling seized property forfeited to the government by drug trafficker and other criminals; assisting the Justice Department's asset forfeiture program; and responding to emergency circumstances and restoring order in riot and mob-violence situations. There are currently two U.S. attorneys serving in Iowa. They are Stephen Rapp in Iowa's northern district and Don Nickerson in the southern district. Iowa also has two U.S. marshals. They are Dennis Blome in the northern district and Phyllis Henry in the southern district.