White House Appoints U.S. Attorney Natalie Wight to Serve the District of Oregon
By Hon. Stacie F. Beckerman, U.S. Magistrate Judge On September 8, 2022, the U.S. Senate confirmed the White House’s appointment of Natalie Wight as the District of Oregon’s new U.S. Attorney. Chief U.S. District Judge Marco Hernandez administered the oath of office to Wight at the U.S. Courthouse surrounded by her colleagues. Wight replaced U.S. Attorney Scott Asphaug, who served in an acting and interim role after former U.S. Attorney Billy Williams resigned in 2021. Wight has served as an attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice since 2003. She has been an Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) in the District of Oregon since 2012, working in both the Criminal…
Billy J. Williams: A U.S. Attorney’s Tenure Like No Other
By Scott Bradford During the early weeks of March 2015, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams received a phone call from Eric Holder, U.S. Attorney General during the majority of President Barack Obama’s administration. The incumbent U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon Amanda Marshall had decided to step away from her duties. Attorney General Holder said to Williams, “You’re now the U.S. Attorney.” As Acting (and later the Senate-confirmed) U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, Williams faced unprecedented challenges, starting with the need to right and steady an office roiled by U.S. Attorney Marshall’s resignation. It is likely not a path Williams thought about for himself when…