Marianna Jackson Clay (DOJ)

Three Justice Department employees retired Friday after serving decades in the Eastern District of Kentucky U.S. Attorney’s office based in Lexington.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Marianna Jackson Clay retired after 31 years at the DOJ. Assistant U.S. Attorney Frances Catron leaves after more than 20 years at the Department. Joni Weber retired after 22 years at the DOJ.

Frances Catron (DOJ)

Clay most recently helped create a curriculum to train employees from U.S. Attorneys’ offices across the nation. In 2006, she helped develop a prison litigation unit to help the U.S. Attorney’s office address prison violence and handle prisoner lawsuits and civil rights cases involving federal prisons in Kentucky. Clay also served as the First Assistant U.S. Attorney to former U.S. Attorney Joe Famularo from 1993 to 2001.

Catron handled major fraud in drug cases. She held various leadership posts including interim U.S. Attorney, acting U.S. Attorney and First Assistant U.S. Attorney.

Weber was a secretary in the U.S. Attorney’s office, serving nine U.S. Attorneys.

The Senate Judiciary Committee approved four U.S. Attorney nominees by voice vote at its meeting Thursday.

They are:

Alicia Limtiaco (UCLA)

– Alicia Limtiaco (Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands): The Guam attorney general would replace U.S. Attorney Leonardo Rapadas, who has led the territories’ offices since 2003. President Barack Obama nominated her on Feb. 24. Read more about her here.

– Kenneth J. Gonzales (New Mexico): The Assistant U.S. Attorney, who has worked in the New Mexico U.S. Attorney’s Office since 1999, would replace interim U.S. Attorney Gregory Fouratt, who has led the office since David Iglesias was forced out during the 2006 U.S. Attorney firings. Obama tapped Gonzales on March 3. Read more about Gonzales here.

David Hale (Reed Weitkamp Schell & Vice)

– Kerry Harvey (Eastern District of Kentucky): Harvey 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 & Carter. President Barack Obama tapped him on Jan. 20 to succeed U.S. Attorney James A. Zerhusen. Read more about Harvey here.

– David J. Hale (Western District of Kentucky): Hale is a partner at Reed Weitkamp Schell & Vice in Louisville, Ky., and a former Assistant U.S. Attorney in the district. Obama nominated him on Jan. 20 to succeed David L. Huber, who stepped down as U.S. Attorney last year. The district’s interim U.S. Attorney is Candace G. Hill. Read more about the nominee here.

The panel has now approved 45 U.S. Attorney nominees, 36 of whom have won Senate confirmation. The committee has yet to schedule votes for another 21 would-be U.S. Attorneys.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on the nominees to lead Kentucky’s U.S. Attorney’s offices at its meeting next Thursday.

They are:

– Kerry Harvey (Eastern District of Kentucky): Harvey 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 & Carter. President Barack Obama tapped him on Jan. 20 to succeed U.S. Attorney James A. Zerhusen. Read more about Harvey here.

David Hale (Reed Weitkamp Schell & Vice)

– David J. Hale (Western District of Kentucky): Hale is a partner at Reed Weitkamp Schell & Vice PLLC in Louisville, Ky., and a former Assistant U.S. Attorney in the district. Obama nominated him on Jan. 20 to succeed David L. Huber, who stepped down as U.S. Attorney last year. The district’s interim U.S. Attorney is Candace G. Hill. Read more about the nominee here.

The committee has yet to schedule votes for another 23 would-be U.S. Attorneys. The panel has approved 41 U.S. Attorney nominees, 36 of whom have won Senate confirmation.

The Senate Judiciary Committee endorsed a U.S. Attorney nominee for Eastern District of New York by voice vote at its meeting Thursday.

Loretta Lynch (Hogan & Hartson)

Loretta Lynch’s nomination will be placed on the Senate Executive Calendar, eligible for floor consideration. Lynch was nominated on Jan. 20 to replace interim U.S. Attorney Benton J. Campbell. She is a former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, serving 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 committee schedule initially showed that the panel would also consider Eastern District of Kentucky U.S. Attorney nominee Kerry Harvey. But he wasn’t listed on the panel’s agenda Thursday. A committee spokeswoman said his initial inclusion on the agenda was an error.

The committee has now approved 41 U.S. Attorney nominees, 36 of whom have won Senate confirmation. The committee has yet to schedule votes for another 25 would-be U.S. Attorneys.

Attorney General Eric Holder on Wednesday called on panel members to move “more expeditiously” on U.S. Attorney nominees. He said the number of would-be U.S. Attorneys stalled in the Senate is “unusual.”

Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the committee’s ranking Republican, said Wednesday that the panel shouldn’t be faulted for failing to get more U.S. Attorneys through the Senate. He said there is a “lack of nominations” coming out of the White House.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is slated to consider two U.S. Attorney nominees at its meeting Thursday.

They are:

Loretta Lynch (Hogan & Hartson)

– Loretta Lynch (Eastern District of New York): Lynch 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 LLP. Lynch was nominated on Jan. 20 to replace interim U.S. Attorney Benton J. Campbell. Read more about her here.

– Kerry Harvey (Eastern District of Kentucky): Harvey 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 & Carter. Harvey was tapped on Jan. 20 to succeed U.S. Attorney James A. Zerhusen. Read more about him here.

The committee has yet to schedule votes for another 17 would-be U.S. Attorneys. The panel has approved 40 U.S. Attorney nominees, 36 of whom have already won Senate confirmation.

The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky will step down Friday, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported.

James Zerhusen (DOJ)

Jim Zerhusen has led the Lexington, Ky.-based U.S. Attorney’s office since January 2008 as an acting U.S. Attorney and as a court-appointed U.S. Attorney.  He has worked in the U.S. Attorney’s office since 1980.

The U.S. Attorney was noted for his successful prosecution of a money courier for Colombian drug dealers in 1985. The case was the inspiration behind the first federal money laundering law.

He told the newspaper that he plans to do some traveling and will attend the NCAA Final Four, thanks to a gift from his colleagues.

“I’m hoping Kentucky will be playing Monday night,” Zerhusen, a University of Kentucky sports fan, told the Herald-Leader.

The U.S. Attorney said he also intends to spend more time with his wife and three adult children.

“I haven’t been bitten by golf,” he told the newspaper. “I don’t know if I can play tennis anymore.”

President Barack Obama nominated Kerry Harvey on Jan. 20 to be the next Eastern District of Kentucky U.S. Attorney. Read more about Harvey here.

Acting First Assistant U.S. Attorney E.J. Walbourn will lead the office until the next U.S. Attorney is confirmed by the Senate.

Kerry B. Harvey (Murray State University, University of Kentucky College of Law) is nominated to be U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. He would replace Bush holdover James A. Zerhusen, who has served as the U.S. Attorney for the district since January 2008.

His vitals:

• Born in Madisonville, Ky., in 1957.
• Has been general counsel and acting inspector general for the Commonwealth of Kentucky in the Cabinet for Health and Family Services in Frankfort, Ky., since 2008.
• Was a partner at Owen, Harvey & Carter in Benton, Ky., from 1991 to 2008.
• Worked on Kentucky Gov.-Elect Steve Beshear’s transition team for the Cabinet for Health and Family Services in 2007.
• Was on the board of directors of Hopfed Bankcorp, Inc. & Heritage Bank, Inc. in Hopkinsville, Ky. from 2001 to 2008.
• Was a director at CBT Corporation (now U. S. Bank) in Paducah, Ky., from 1994 to 1998.
• Was a director at United Commonwealth Bank, F.S.B. (now U.S. Bank) in Murray, Ky., from 1992 to 1998.
• Was a director at BMC Bancorp, Inc. and The Bank of Marshall County (now U. S. Bank) in Benton, Ky., from 1989 to 1994.
• Served as the Marshall County Attorney from 1986 to 1994.
• Was on the board of directors of the Marshall County Chamber of Commerce from 1985 to 1988.
• Worked as an adjunct instructor in business law at Murray State University in 1984.
• Was an adjunct instructor in legal writing at University of Kentucky College of Law in 1983.
• Worked as an adjunct instructor in remedies at University of Louisville School of Law in 1983.
• Was an associate at Brown, Todd & Heyburn (now Frost Brown Todd) in Louisville, Ky., from 1982 to 1984.
• Clerked for Shaw, Spangler & Roth in Denver in 1981.
• Clerked for the state prosecutor in the Commonwealth Attorneys Office in Murray, Ky., in 1980.
• Worked as a claims service representative for Progressive Casualty Insurance Co. in Mayfield Village, Ohio, from 1978  to 1979.
• Has tried approximately 75 cases to verdict.

Click here for his full Senate Judiciary Committee questionnaire.

UPDATE: On his Senate Judiciary financial disclosure he reports assets of $2,787,4oo mostly from securities, cash and municipal bonds. Harvey also reports no liabilities.

On his Office of Government Ethics financial disclosure he reports an income of $188,215 from the Commonwealth of Kentucky for 2008 and most of 2009. Harvey also reports $4,575 in director fees from Hopefed Bancorp, Inc., $13,225 in partnership income from Owen, Harvey & Carter and $49,338 in LLC icome from Dealer Fiance of Western Ky., LLC.

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.