Attorney General Eric Holder today appointed three U.S. Attorneys to his Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC).

The group is an influential policy-making and advisory body that serves as the voice of U.S. Attorneys throughout the country.

The new members of the advisory panel are Sanford Coats, of the Western District of Oklahoma; Steven M. Dettelbach, of the Northern District of Ohio; and Jim Letten, of the Eastern District of Louisiana.

The Justice Department news release gave brief biographical data on each of the new members.

Holder noted that AGAC, which was created in 1973, provides advice to the attorney general on policy, management and operational matters affecting the U.S. Attorneys Offices.

The AGAC now has 15 members. Its chairman is B. Todd Jones, U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota.

John Richter

Former Western District of Oklahoma U.S. Attorney John Richter, who resigned Aug. 21, 2009, to become a distinguished practitioner in residence and visiting professor at the University of Oklahoma Law School, will now be a new vice president and chief litigation counsel at Tampa, Fla.,-based WellCare Health Plans Inc., TradingMarkets.com reports.

Richter was named to head the Oklahoma federal prosecutor’s office on an interim basis in 2005. He was confirmed to the post by the Senate in 2006.

Before becoming head of the office in 2005, Richter served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and worked at Justice Department headquarters in Washington, D.C. In addition, he was a member of the president’s corporate fraud task force, co-chairman of the human trafficking and smuggling center, and an ex-officio commissioner on the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

Sanford Coats was confirmed by the Senate on Dec. 24 and sworn in as the district’s new U.S. Attorney six days later.

As a young newspaper ad salesman in Oklahoma City, Sandford “Sandy” Coats was moved by the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building to choose a career in public service. Today he’s the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma, The Journal Record newspaper reported.

Sanford "Sandy" Coats (DOJ)

Coats, who was sworn in as the district’s top federal prosecutor on Dec. 30, was selling classified ads at the Oklahoma Gazette to earn money for college when Timothy McVeigh set off explosives that destroyed the federal building. The bombing killed 168 and at the time was the most lethal act of terrorism on U.S. soil.

“I was at my desk at the Gazette when the Murrah Building was bombed,� Coats told The Journal Record. “I’ll never forget any of that.�

He then went to work finishing his bachelor’s degree at Tulane University in New Orleans. Later, he earned a law degree at the University of Oklahoma College of Law, where his father, Andy, has been dean since 1996. Andy Coats previously served as the mayor of Oklahoma City.

Sandy Coats became a commercial litigator after law school. But it wasn’t for him. He joined the Western District U.S. Attorney’s Office in January 2004 under then-U.S. Attorney Robert McCampbell.

“They just kinda threw me in there,â€� he told the newspaper. “I got to try cases with Robert. We handled drug cases, gangs, organized crime and things like that. I got the experience I wanted.”

He quickly moved up the ranks in the office. Coats was the chief of the major crimes section and Project Safe Childhood coordinator before he succeeded Bush-appointed U.S. Attorney John Richter this month.

Coats told The Journal Record that his office will continue efforts to fight drug and gun crime while working to improve relations with the state’s American Indian tribes.

“We’re going to focus on making our state better,� the U.S. Attorney told the newspaper. “We’re going to focus on crimes against children. Our office has a great history of being a national leader in that area. We’ll continue to focus on that. We want to help.�

Over the holiday week, five U.S. Attorneys were sworn in. They are:

• James L. Santelle (Eastern District of Wisconsin): The former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin was sworn in this morning. He was confirmed Dec. 24. Santelle replaces Bush appointee Steven Biskupic. Biskupic was appointed U.S. Attorney in May 2002. In 2007, Biskupic and his office came under review by congressional investigators looking into the dismissal of U.S. Attorneys. He resigned in January 2009 to join the Milwaukee law firm of Michael Best & Friedrich as a litigator.

• Beth Phillips (Western District of Missouri): The former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri was sworn in Dec. 31. She was confirmed Dec. 24. Phillips replaces Bush appointee John Wood. Wood headed the office from 2007 to 2009 before resigning in February to join the D.C. office of a leading Wall Street law firm as a partner.

• Mike Cotter (District of Montana): The private practice attorney was sworn in Dec. 30. He was confirmed Dec. 24. Cotter replaces controversial Bush appointee William Mercer, who had held the post since 2001. Mercer wore two hats at DOJ, serving as U.S. Attorney and as Acting Associate Attorney General from September 2006 to June 2007. At DOJ headquarters, he assisted in the politicized firings of other U.S. Attorneys, congressional investigators found. A federal judge and leading Democrats in Montana had called for his resignation.

• Sanford Coats (Western District of Oklahoma): The former Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Western District of Oklahoma was sworn in Dec. 30. He was confirmed Dec. 24. Coats replaces John C. Richter, who was named to head the office on an interim basis in 2005 and confirmed by the Senate in 2006. Richter resigned in August to teach law at the University of Oklahoma College of Law.

• Barbara McQuade (Eastern District of Michigan): The former Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Michigan was sworn in today. She was confirmed Dec. 24. McQuade replaces Stephen J. Murphy who became U.S. Attorney in 2006. In 2008 he became a federal judge in the Eastern District of Michigan.

In a wrap-up session just before leaving town until next year,  the Senate today confirmed seven U.S. Attorneys by voice vote.

They are:

Richard Callahan (Gov)

– Richard Callahan (Eastern District of Missouri): The state circuit judge in Missouri succeeds Catherine L. Hanaway, who resigned earlier this year. He was nominated for the post in October. Read more about Callahan here.

– Sanford Coats (Western District of Oklahoma): Coats, who been an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the western Oklahoma office, succeeds John Richter, who stepped down in August. Coats was nominated on Sept. 30. Read more about Coats here.

– Michael Cotter (Montana): The Helena, Mont., lawyer replaces Bill Mercer, who is a holdover from the George W. Bush administration. Obama nominated Cotter for U.S. Attorney on Sept. 25, after the live-in girlfriend of Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) withdrew from consideration. As the state’s senior Democratic senator, Baucus had recommended three candidates to the White House. Read more about Cotter here.

– Christopher Crofts (Wyoming): The counsel to Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal (D) replaces Bush holdover Kelly Rankin. He was nominated on Nov. 30. Read more about Crofts here.

Barbara L. McQuade (ICLE)

– Barbara McQuade (Eastern District of Michigan): The Eastern District of Michigan Assistant U.S. Attorney succeeds Stephen J. Murphy, who resigned in 2008. She was nominated on Nov. 30. Read more about her here.

James L. Santelle (Wisconsin Law Journal)

– James Santelle (Eastern District of Wisconsin): Santelle, who has been an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District office, succeeds Steven Biskupic, who stepped down as U.S. Attorney in January. Obama tapped Santelle for the post on Nov. 30. Read more about Santelle here.

– Mary Elizabeth Phillips (Western District of Missouri): Phillips, who was nominated Sept. 30, succeeds John Wood, who resigned in February. Read more about Phillips here.

The Senate has now confirmed 31 U.S. Attorneys. The Senate Judiciary Committee has yet to schedule votes votes for another 10 would-be U.S. Attorneys, including the nominees Obama tapped today and last Tuesday. One of Obama’s nominees, Stephanie Villafuerte of Colorado, withdrew from consideration two weeks ago.

Patrick Leahy (gov)

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Wednesday urged the Senate to confirm several nominees approved by his committee, including five Justice Department officials and two prospective U.S. Attorneys.

The nominees are:

• Dawn Johnsen, who was approved by his committee on March 19, for head of the Office of Legal Counsel.
• Mary L. Smith, who was reported out of the committee June 11, for head of the Tax Division.
• Christopher Schroeder, who was reported by the Judiciary panel  July 28, for head of the Office of Legal Policy.
• Susan B. Carbon, who was reported out of committee Dec. 3, for head of the Violence Against Women Office.
• John Laub, who was reported out of committee Dec. 3, for head of the National Institute of Justice.
• Sanford Coats, who was reported out of committee Dec. 3, for U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma.
• Mary Elizabeth Phillips, who was reported out of committee Dec. 3, for U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri.

In a press release, Leahy said, “This year we have witnessed unprecedented delays in the consideration of qualified and noncontroversial nominations,â€� adding,  “We have had to waste weeks seeking time agreements in order to consider nominations that were then confirmed unanimously.  I hope that instead of withholding consent and threatening filibusters of President Obama’s judicial nominees, Senate Republicans will treat the nominees of President Obama fairly.â€�

He continued, “During President Bush’s last year in office, we reduced judicial vacancies to as low as 34, even though it was a presidential election year.  Judicial vacancies have now spiked.  There are currently 97 vacancies on our federal circuit and district courts, and 23 more have already been announced.  This is approaching record levels.  I know we can do better.  Justice should not be delayed or denied to any American because of overburdened courts and the lack of federal judges.�

The Senate Judiciary Committee this morning gave its voice-vote approval to the nominations of two Justice Department directors and two U.S. Attorneys.

They are:

Susan B. Carbon (National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges)

– Susan Carbon, who is nominated to be director of the Office on Violence Against Women. The supervisory judge of the New Hampshire Judicial Branch Family Division was nominated Oct. 5. She would succeed Cindy Dyer, who resigned in January. Read more about Carbon here.

John Laub (University of Maryland)

– John H. Laub, who would be director of the National Institute of Justice. The University of Maryland professor was tapped Oct. 5. He would succeed David Hagy, who stepped down in January. Read more about the nominee here.

– Mary Elizabeth Phillips, nominated to be U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri. Phillips, who was nominated Sept. 30, would succeed John Wood, who resigned in February. Read more about Phillips here.

– Sanford Coats, who would be U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma. Coats also was tapped on Sept. 30. He would succeed John Richter, who stepped down in August. Read more about the nominee here.

The panel has now endorsed 26 U.S. Attorney nominees, including 24 U.S. Attorneys who have been confirmed by the Senate. Eight other would-be U.S. Attorneys are still pending before the committee.

The Senate Judiciary Committee this week is tentatively slated to vote on the nominations of two Justice Department directors and two U.S. Attorneys, according to the panel’s Web site. The nominees are among a long list of bills and nominations on the panel’s Thursday business meeting agenda.

They are:

Susan B. Carbon (National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges)

– Susan Carbon, who is nominated to be director of the Office on Violence Against Women. The supervisory judge of the New Hampshire Judicial Branch Family Division was nominated Oct. 5. She would succeed Cindy Dyer, who resigned in January. Read more about Carbon here.

John Laub (University of Maryland)

– John H. Laub, who would be director of the National Institute of Justice. The University of Maryland professor was tapped Oct. 5. He would succeed David Hagy, who stepped down in January. Read more about the nominee here.

– Mary Elizabeth Phillips, nominated to be U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri. Phillips, who was  nominated Sept. 30, would succeed John Wood, who resigned in February. Read more about Phillips here.

– Sanford Coats, who would be U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma. Coats also was tapped on Sept. 30. He would succeed John Richter, who stepped down in August. Read more about the nominee here.

Eight other would-be U.S. Attorneys are pending before the committee, including four nominees that President Barack Obama tapped yesterday.

The committee may also resume its work on legislation that would shield journalists from being required to divulge their sources in many cases. The panel last took action on that bill at its Nov. 19 session.

President Obama’s U.S. Attorney nominees are turning out to be a diverse bunch in terms of race, gender — and net worth.

Of the 29 U.S. Attorney candidates who have been confirmed or nominated so far, reported net worth ranges from nearly $6 million to less than $10,000, according to an analysis of financial disclosure data filed with the Senate Judiciary Committtee.

Jenny Durkan is the wealthiest of President Obama's U.S. Attorney picks announced so far.

The wealthiest include recently confirmed U.S. Attorneys Jenny Durkan of the Western District of Washington ($5.9 million) and Paul Fishman of New Jersey ($5.1 million).

Four nominees reported net worth of less than $200,000. They are Stephanie Rose, nominated to lead Iowa’s Northern District; Richard Callahan, nominated for Missouri’s Eastern District; Carter Stewart of Ohio’s Southern District; and Nick Klinefeldt, of Iowa’s Northern District.

Both Rose and Klinefeldt are under 40. Moreover, Rose has spent most of her career in government, as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Iowa. Klinefeldt, meanwhile, reported little equity in his personal residence and student loan debt for both himself and his wife.

Before taking on the Western Washington job, Durkan ran her own law firm in Seattle and worked at a number of other law firms, including Williams & Connolly. She donated $288,205 to Democratic candidates, causes and organizations on the state and federal levels from 1998 to 2008, election records show.

Fishman was a partner at Friedman, Kaplan, Seiler & Adelman in New York, specializing in white-collar defense, corporate investigations and complex civil litigation.

Below is a ranking of the U.S. Attorney picks by net worth. We’ll update the table as more nominees for the 93 federal prosecuting jobs are announced.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Rob Wallace, who was considered the leading pick for the U.S. Attorney post in the Muskogee-based Eastern District of Oklahoma, is suddenly out, reports Jim Myers in the Tulsa World,

It’s a “total shock,” a source told the Tulsa World. Wallace did not respond to a request for comment from Main Justice.

But Wallace did speak to Myers. He said:

“”I was told they were not advancing my name… I’ve been given no specific reason … I submitted a letter Friday asking the president to remove my name from the list of potential candidates.”

Bush appointee Sheldon Sperling has not resigned from his post at the head of the Muskogee office.

This development comes days before his nomination was expected to be announced, the Tulsa World reported. Two weeks ago, Sanford Coats was nominated to the U.S. Attorney post for Oklahoma’s Western District, based in Oklahoma City.

The sudden upheaval in the Eastern District shakes up an already turbulent nominations process in the Sooner State, which is represented in the Senate by two conservative Republicans, Tom Coburn and Jim Inhofe, who are ideological foes of the Democratic Obama administration. As we reported earlier, Coburn and Inhofe have helped block a U.S. Attorney candidate in Oklahoma’s Northern District. Read our earlier report here.