Stephanie A. Finley (Grambling State University, Southern University Law Center) is nominated to be U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana. She would replace Donald W. Washington, who was the district’s U.S. Attorney from 2001 to Jan. 18, 2010, when he returned to private practice. The district’s current acting U.S. Attorney is William J. Flanagan.

Her vitals:

• Born in Pineville, La., in 1966.
• Received a certificate of completion from Professional Military Education’s Squadron Officers School in 1998.
• Received a certificate of completion from Air Command and Staff College in 2007.
• Currently enrolled in Air War College.
• Has been an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Western District of Louisiana since October 1995. Has served as senior litigation counsel since 2007 and served as Acting Deputy Criminal Chief from November 2008 to July 2009.
• Has been an Assistant Staff Judge Advocate in the U.S. Air Force Reserves since October 1995.
• Was an Assistant Staff Judge Advocate on active duty with the U.S. Air Force from October 1991 to September 1995.
• Was an adjunct professor at St. Leo Community College from 1993 to 1995.
• Clerked for Brooke, Morial, Cassibry, Fraiche and Pizza during the summer of 1990, the Louisiana Department of Labor from 1989-1991 and the Rapides Parish Sheriff Department during the summer of 1988.
• Was a cashier at Super One Food Stores in Baton Rouge, La., from May 1989 to July 1989.
• Holds the rank of Lt. Colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserves and Captain in the U.S. Air Force.
• Has tried approximately 50 cases to verdict, acting as sole counsel in all but two. Also has tried matters before administrative discharge boards of the U.S. Air Force.

Click here for her full Senate Judiciary Committee questionnaire.

UPDATE: On her Senate Judiciary financial disclosure she reports assets of $987,600 mostly from real estate. She reports owning her personal residence and seven rental properties valued at a total $595,000. Finley also reports liabilities of $350,100 for a net worth of $637,500.

On her Office of Government Ethics financial disclosure Finley reports that she has one rental property in Alexandria, La., one in Pineville, La., and five rental properties in Marksville, La.

Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) will delay Senate action on the nominee who would replace the acting U.S. Attorney whose son allegedly tried to interfere with phones at Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu’s New Orleans office, The Associated Press reported today.

David Vitter (Getty Images)

Vitter’s office said Wednesday that he will block Senate action on Stephanie Finley and President Obama’s other nominees for federal justice system posts in Louisiana until he hears from the White House whether Obama will let Eastern District of Louisiana U.S. Attorney Jim Letten keep his job.

Finley was nominated last week to be U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana. She would replace acting U.S. Attorney William Flanagan. Vitter is also holding up other federal nominees in Louisiana over Letten. Letten was appointed by President George W. Bush, and has held the Eastern District post since April 2001. Both Vitter and Landrieu have urged Obama to retain Letten.

Flanagan, a career prosecutor, became the top federal prosecutor in the Shreveport, La., office after Donald Washington resigned earlier this month. Robert Flanagan, the prosecutor’s son, along with conservative activists James O’Keefe, Joseph Basel and Stan Dai were charged this week with entering federal property under false pretenses for the purposes of committing a felony. O’Keefe made national headlines last year when he posed as a pimp and allegedly received instructions on how to obtain housing aid for a purported brothel from staffers for activist group ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now).

The son of the acting U.S. Attorney and Basel told a staffer at Landrieu’s office that they were with the telephone company to repair the phone system, according to an FBI affidavit. O’Keefe was already inside the office’s reception area and was holding a phone to record Flanagan and Basel talking to Landrieu staffers, the FBI said. Dai helped plan the operation, according to the FBI.

President Barack Obama tapped five lawyers to lead U.S. Attorney’s offices in Louisiana, West Virginia, Kentucky and New York, the White House announced today.

They are:

-Stephanie Finley (Western District of Louisiana): She has been an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana since 1995. Finley would succeed Donald Washington, who stepped down as U.S. Attorney this week to enter private practice.

-R. Booth Goodwin (Southern District of West Virginia): He has been an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia since 2001. Goodwin would replace U.S. Attorney Charles T. Miller.

David Hale (Reed Weitkamp Schell & Vice)

-David Hale (Western District of Kentucky): He has been an attorney at Reed Weitkamp Schell & Vice since 1999 Hale previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky. Hale would succeed David Huber, who resigned as U.S. Attorney in January 2o09. Read more about the nominee here.

-Kerry Harvey (Eastern District of Kentucky): He has been the general counsel and acting inspector general of the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services since 2008. He previously was a partner at Owen, Harvey, and Carter.

Loretta Lynch (Hogan & Hartson)

-Loretta Lynch (Eastern District of New York): She is a former U.S. Attorney for Eastern District of New York. She served from 1999 to 2001, after nine years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney. She is currently a partner at Hogan & Hartson. Read more about her here.

The former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana will join a national law firm at its Lafayette, La., office.

Donald Washington, who served as U.S. Attorney from 2001 until yesterday, will focus on white collar litigation and federal and state criminal investigations at Jones Walker, according to a news release from the law firm.

Donald Washington (DOJ)

“Don’s extensive background as in-house corporate counsel, conducting corporate investigations, and in litigation will build upon our strong litigation practice, and he is a particularly good complement to our existing practice in the area of health care and energy litigation, white collar crime, and government investigations,” William H. Hines, Jones Walker’s managing partner, said in the news release. “The depth of his knowledge and experience navigating complex legal issues and federal investigations will be a huge asset.”

Washington said in the news release that he joined the law firm because it “presents exciting, geographically diverse representation opportunities.”

“It provides an excellent platform for someone with my background to continue serving clients seeking a just resolution to their legal issues, while practicing with some of the most prominent and widely recognized lawyers in the nation,” he said.

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) last summer recommended that President Barack Obama nominate either John Belton or Stephanie Finley for the Western District U.S. Attorney post.

The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana told Main Justice today that he will resign this month to return to private practice.

Donald Washington (DOJ)

U.S Attorney Donald Washington, who was appointed by President George W. Bush in 2001, will step down on Jan. 18. He said “nothing” compelled him to leave now, but this month was a “suitable time to leave.”

“As every U.S. Attorney knows, there comes a time and a day that you have to make the decision to leave,” Washington told Main Justice. He declined to say where he would be working once he left the U.S. Attorney’s office.

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) recommended last summer that President Barack Obama nominate John Belton and Stephanie Finley for the Western District U.S. Attorney post. Washington said he didn’t have any information on who his successor would be.

The Associated Press first reported his intention to resign.