Big Willy Is Official!

Dancer/lawyer/all-around good guy Wilfredo Ferrer gets the nod:

President Barack Obama nominated Miami-Dade native Wifredo Ferrer as the new U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida Thursday.

The position, which requires Senate confirmation, is among the most powerful of the 93 U.S. attorney's offices nationwide. The Miami post is also among the most demanding and sprawling -- with 290 prosecutors handling white-collar fraud, public corruption, drug-trafficking and human-smuggling cases from Key West to Fort Pierce.

His résumé was an easy sell: He is a one-time federal prosecutor in Miami and is currently chief of Miami-Dade County's federal litigation section. He's also the former deputy chief of staff to U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno.

The son of Cuban immigrants also was valedictorian at Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High, first in his class at the University of Miami, and president of his class at the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Ok ok, but is he qualified?

Middle District US Attorney Fight Goes Public

Does anyone care at all about the Middle District?

I guess so, since sometimes we have to go up there and litigate cases and all.

So I suppose you heard about the fight over the potential MD FL US Attorney selection:

The accusations against one include an extramarital affair with a subordinate, helping a terrorist organization raise money and compromising important public corruption investigations.

What's the big deal?

I've done at least one of those....maybe two depending on the precise definition of "subordinate."

The other is accused of conducting vindictive investigations and abusing his prosecutorial powers. The charges have been made in letters and court documents filed over the past six months.

That's it? I was expecting something serious.

The nominees are Harry Shorstein, a former state attorney from Jacksonville, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert E. O'Neill, of Tampa and Roger Bernard Handberg III, of Orlando. They were selected from a field of 11 applicants last year.

Ok, I don't recognize any of these names but that's not surprising since I wasn't even sure Jacksonville was technically within Florida, let alone the Middle District.