The Senate Judiciary Committee approved two U.S. Attorney nominees by voice vote Thursday morning.

They are:

Wifredo Ferrer (gov)

– Wifredo Ferrer (Southern District of Florida): The assistant Dade County, Fla., attorney and deputy chief of staff to then-Attorney General Janet Reno would succeed R. Alexander Acosta, who stepped down as U.S. Attorney last summer. Ferrer was nominated on Feb. 24. Read more about the nominee here.

Bill Nettles (Sanders & Nettles)

– William Nettles (South Carolina): The attorney at the Columbia, S.C., law firm of Sanders & Nettles LLC would succeed W. Walter Wilkins III, who resigned as U.S. Attorney earlier this month. Nettles was tapped on Dec. 22. Read more about him here.

The panel has now approved 38 U.S. Attorney nominees, 36 of whom have already won Senate confirmation. The committee has yet to schedule votes for another 18 would-be U.S. Attorneys.

W. Walter Wilkins III,  who served as South Carolina U.S. Attorney under President George W. Bush,  has announced  he will run for a state prosecutor post, The Greenville News reported today.

W. Walter Wilkins (DOJ)

Wilkins, a Republican who stepped down as U.S. Attorney earlier this month, is looking to succeed South Carolina 13th circuit court solicitor Bob Ariail, who isn’t running for reelection, according to The News. This will be Wilkins’s first bid for elected office, the newspaper said.

“I will be a tough, no-nonsense prosecutor and my experience and record should assure the people of Greenville and Pickens counties that I will be prepared to serve them on day one,” Wilkins told The News.

Ariail was criticized for his prosecution of a local businessman who crashed his Maserati into a house, killing a man who was watching TV  in his living room,  according to the newspaper. The businessman wasn’t immediately charged, which drew protesters to the Greenville county courthouse, the newspaper said. He eventually received probation on a reckless homicide charge, according to The News.

Wilkins served as U.S. Attorney from 2008 until earlier this month. President Barack Obama nominated defense lawyer William Nettles for the post last month.  Kevin F. McDonald is currently serving as the acting U.S. Attorney for South Carolina.

Bill Nettles (Sanders & Nettles)

William N. Nettles (The Military College of South Carolina, Widener University School of Law) is nominated to replace William Walter Wilkins III as the U.S. Attorney for South Carolina.

His vitals:

• Born in Sumter, S.C., in 1961.
• Has been a member of Sanders & Nettles, LLC in Columbia, S.C., since 2005.
• Owner of a private law practice in Columbia from November 1997 to 0ctober 2005.
• Was a member of Banks & Nettles, LLC in Camden, S.C., from September 1995 to May 1997.
• Worked as an attorney in the Richland County public defender office in Columbia from August 1992 to September 1995.
• Was a law clerk at Mellon, Webster & Shelley in Doylestown, Pa., from May 1991 to May 1992.
• Worked as a law clerk at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in Harrisburg, Pa., from August 1990 to May 1991.
• Was the head sailing instructor at the Corinthian Yacht Club of Cape May in Cape May, N.J., from May 1990 to August 1990.
• Worked in sales at Napco Pipe in Worcester, Mass., from June 1989 to June 1990.
• Was the owner of RGHGroup, a manufacturing company, in Forest Grove, Pa., from  1984 to 1990.
• Worked as a laborer and in the sales department of AC Elfman Construction in Doylestown, Pa., from October 1983 to 1984.
• Has resigned from the Sons of the High Hills of Santee, an organization of descendants from an area of Sumter County, S.C. In his questionnaire, Nettle writes, “On the few occasions I attended the lunch, I do not recall seeing any African Americans in attendance. I feel sure the organization has no formal discriminatory requirements, and I am uncertain of any policies that have the practical effect of discriminating. Out of an abundance of caution, however, I have written a letter resigning.”
• Has been counsel for the South Carolina Democratic Party since 2002.
• Was a member of the Obama for President voter protection effort from 2007 to 2008.
• Has tried more than 50 cases, serving as lead counsel on the majority of them.

Click here for his full Senate Judiciary Committee questionnaire.

UPDATE: On his Senate Judiciary financial disclosure, Nettles reports assets valued at $1.8 million mostly in securities and real estate. He owns three properties — his personal residence, a vacation home and his office — valued at a combined $670,000.  He reports $358,600 in liabilites from his mortgages. His net worth is $1.5 million.

W. Walter Wilkins (DOJ)

The U.S. Attorney for South Carolina has resigned, WIS News 10 reported today.

W. Walter Wilkins III stepped down as U.S. Attorney yesterday. He had served as the top federal prosecutor in South Carolina since 2008. Kevin F. McDonald will be the acting U.S. Attorney, according to WIS.

President Barack Obama nominated defense lawyer William Nettles for the post last month.

Bill Nettles (Sanders & Nettles)

President Barack Obama has nominated defense lawyer William Nettles for U.S. Attorney in South Carolina, the White House said Tuesday.

Nettles, of Sanders & Nettles in Columbia, S.C., was recommended for the post in August by Democratic Reps. John Spratt and Jim Clyburn. He is Obama’s 35th U.S. Attorney nominee; 24 have been confirmed.

Nettles (The Citadel, Widener University Law) has been name partner at the firm since 2005, handling a broad criminal practice. He represented Olympic gold-medal swimmer Michael Phelps in criminal probe earlier this year after photos showing him holding a bong at a Columbia party surfaced.

Nettles’ civil practice includes personal injury, medical malpractice and pharmaceutical litigation. Click here for his firm bio.

A former public defender in Richland County, Nettles was a partner at Banks & Nettles from 1995 to 1997 and a solo practitioner from 1997 to 2005.

“William Nettles’ legal career has been distinguished and impressive,” Obama said in a statement announcing the nomination. “I am confident that, as a US Attorney, he will be relentless in his pursuit of justice and serve the people of South Carolina with distinction.”

Nettles was an early supporter of presidential candidate Barack Obama and provided legal advice to Obama’s campaign operatives in the state. Obama’s convincing victory in the South Carolina primary marked a turning point in his battle for the nomination with Hillary Clinton.

Nettles’ law partner and father-in-law, Alex Sanders, is a former chief judge of the S.C. Court of Appeals and former president of Charleston College. Sanders ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in 2002, as the Democratic nominee, losing to Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).

Nettles’ wife, Zoe Sanders Nettles, is a past president of the National Association of Women Lawyers. She is a partner at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough.