The gunman who killed a security officer at the federal courthouse in Las Vegas before being fatally shot by U.S. Marshals had sued the Social Security Administration for “race discrimination,” claiming his benefits were unfairly reduced.

Johnny Lee Wicks (left) and Stanley Cooper (right)

Johnny Lee Wicks, 66, also set fire to his apartment yesterday morning before heading to the courthouse in a black trench coat according to news reports.

“Our investigation strongly indicates that Wicks acted alone and that his motive was an overwhelming anger toward the United States government,” Special Agent in Charge Kevin Favreau of the FBI Las Vegas field office said at a news conference Tuesday, according to the Las Vegas Sun.

Wicks had a long criminal history. He was convicted of murdering his brother in Memphis, Tenn., in 1974 and paroled from prison in 1981, the Sun said.

Stanley Cooper, a 72-year-old court security officer, died in the incident. An 48-year-old deputy U.S. Marshal, who hasn’t been identified, was wounded. The marshal was treated at a hospital and released.

Nevada U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden said Cooper was “one of those wonderful people who could touch your life,” according to the Los Angeles Times.

Reporters from the Las Vegas Sun spoke with neighbors of Wicks, who had mixed reactions about the gunman. Some said he was a loner who kept to himself.

Greg Brower (USDOJ)

Former Nevada U.S. Attorney Gregory A. Brower next week will become a partner at the Las Vegas-based Snell & Wilmer L.L.P., the law firm announced today. Brower resigned Thursday as Daniel Bogden was sworn in as the district’s new U.S. Attorney. Bogden, who was confirmed Sept. 15, was fired in 2006 as part of the Bush administration’s U.S. Attorney purge.

Brower had served as the district’s head prosecutor since December 2007. As a partner in the firm, Brower will focus on complex civil litigation, criminal investigations, regulatory enforcement actions, corporate compliance matters, internal investigations and administrative law issues, according to the firm.

Brower has been mentioned as a possible Republican opponent for Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) in 2010 or as a Nevada attorney general candidate.

Deborah Gilg (Gilg, Kruger & Troia)

As four new Obama-appointed U.S. Attorneys took their oaths of office this week, their predecessors resigned. They are:

• Hawaii: Edward H. Kubo Jr. resigned yesterday. He had been the Hawaii’s U.S. Attorney since 2001. Kubo recently was one of six people who was nominated to fill a vacancy on the state First Circuit Court.  Florence Nakakuni was sworn in yesterday. She was confirmed Sept. 29.

• Nebraska: Joe W. Stecher resigned this morning. He has been the district’s U.S. Attorney since 2007. Stecher said, “I have a few options” both in the private and public sectors. Deborah Gilg was sworn in today. She was confirmed Sept. 29.

• 

  Daniel Bogden (Getty Images)

  Nevada: Gregory A. Brower resigned this morning. He had been the district’s U.S. Attorney since 2007. Brower has not announced official plans but has been mentioned as a possible Republican opponent for Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) in 2010 or as a Nevada attorney general candidate. Daniel Bogden was sworn in 10 a.m. Pacific Time. He was confirmed Sept. 15.  Bogden was fired in 2006 as part of the Bush administration’s U.S. Attorney purge. Reid recommended him to President Obama for his old job.

• Western District of Washington: Jeffrey C. Sullivan resigned today. He had been the district’s interim U.S. Attorney since John McKay was forced out during the U.S. Attorney firings in 2006. Sullivan will remain in the office, working as a prosecutor in the criminal division. Jenny Durkan was sworn in this morning. She was confirmed Sept. 29.

Andrew Ramonas contributed to this report.

The Senate confirmed six U.S. Attorneys this afternoon by unanimous consent.

They are:

Steven Dettelbach (ohio.gov)

Carter Stewart (Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease)

-Steven Dettelbach (Northern District of Ohio): The partner at the Baker & Hostetler law firm was nominated July 14. Dettelbach will replace Gregory White, who resigned in 2008. Read more about Dettelbach here.

-Carter Stewart (Southern District of Ohio): The associate at the Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease law firm was nominated July 14. He will replace Gregory Lockhart, who resigned last month. Read more about the appointee here.

Peter Neronha (DOJ)

Daniel Bogden (Getty Images)

-Peter Neronha (Rhode Island): The Rhode Island Assistant U.S. Attorney was nominated July 31. Neronha will replace Robert Clark Corrente, who resigned June 26. Read more about the appointee here.

-Daniel Bogden (Nevada): The former Nevada U.S. Attorney, who was fired during the 2006 U.S. Attorney purge, was re-nominated July 31. Bogden will replace Gregory Brower, whose resignation is effective Oct. 10. Read more about Bogden here.

Neil MacBride (Business Software Alliance)

-Dennis Burke (Arizona): Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano’s senior adviser on border security and law enforcement was nominated July 14. Burke will replace Diane Humetewa, who resigned Aug. 2. Read more about the appointee here.

-Neil MacBride (Eastern District of Virginia): The Justice Department Associate Deputy Attorney General was nominated Aug. 6. MacBride will replace Chuck Rosenberg, who resigned in October 2008. Read more about MacBride here.

The Senate has now confirmed all 11 U.S. Attorneys that have been reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

On Thursday, the panel is slated to consider U.S. Attorney nominees Jenny Durkan for the Western District of Washington and Paul Fishman for New Jersey. After the committee votes on Durkan and Fishman, it will still have to consider five more U.S. Attorney nominees. The panel has not announced when it will vote on the five nominees.

The Senate Judiciary Committee reported four U.S. Attorney nominees out of committee today by voice vote.

They are:

Daniel Bogden (Getty Images)

-Daniel Bogden (Nevada): The former Nevada U.S. Attorney, who was fired during the 2006 U.S. Attorney purge, was re-nominated July 31. Bogden would replace Gregory Brower. Read more about Bogden here.

Neil MacBride (Business Software Alliance)

-Dennis Burke (Arizona): Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano’s senior adviser on border security and law enforcement was nominated July 14. Burke would replace Diane Humetewa, who resigned Aug. 2. Read more about the nominee here.

-Neil MacBride (Eastern District of Virginia): The Justice Department Associate Deputy Attorney General was nominated Aug. 6. MacBride would replace Chuck Rosenberg, who resigned in October 2008. Read more about MacBride here.

-Peter Neronha (Rhode Island): The Rhode Island Assistant U.S. Attorney was nominated July 31. Neronha would replace Robert Clark Corrente, who resigned June 26. Read more about the nominee here.

“I think they are nominees worthy of confirmation,” Judiciary Ranking Member Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) said at the meeting today.

The panel has now endorsed a total of 11 U.S. Attorney nominees, including five who were confirmed by the full Senate last month. Another seven U.S. Attorney nominees have yet to be considered by the committee.

Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) criticized Senate delays on DOJ nominees in prepared remarks for the confirmation hearing of Environment and Natural Resources Division nominee Ignacia Moreno and four federal judges.

DOJ nominees who are still awaiting Senate confirmation include Dawn Johnsen for the Office of Legal Counsel, Thomas Perez for the Civil Rights Division, Mary L. Smith for the Tax Division, and Christopher Schroeder for the Office of Legal Policy. In addition, two U.S. Attorney nominees — Steven M. Dettelbach for the Northern District of Ohio and Carter M. Stewart for the Southern District of Ohio – have already been reported out of committee and “deserve prompt consideration by the full Senate,” Leahy said.

The Senate Judiciary Committee will consider three U.S. Attorney nominees at a Sept. 10 meeting, the panel announced today.

Peter Neronha (DOJ)

They are:

-Peter Neronha (Rhode Island): The Rhode Island Assistant U.S. Attorney was nominated July 31. Neronha would replace Robert Clark Corrente, who resigned June 26. Read more about the nominee here.

Daniel Bogden (Getty Images)

-Daniel Bogden (Nevada): The former Nevada U.S. Attorney, who was fired during the 2006 U.S. Attorney purge, was re-nominated July 31. Bogden would replace Gregory Brower. Read more about Bogden here.

-Dennis Burke (Arizona): Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano’s senior adviser on border security and law enforcement was nominated July 14. Burke would replace Diane Humetewa, who resigned Aug. 2. Read more about Burke here.

Of the 20 Obama administration U.S. Attorney nominees so far, five have already been confirmed.

Yes, it’s pathetic. But we’re still chewing over the 5,000 or so pages of e-mails, testimony and other documents released by the House Judiciary Committee last week relating to the Bush administration’s 2006 firings of U.S. Attorneys.

Among the items: handwritten notes by an unidentified staffer in the Bush White House that appear to document discussions with Justice Department political appointees about why the administration fired the prosecutors. From the dates on the notes and other references, the discussions appeared to be in preparation for House and Senate Judiciary Committee hearings that were held on March 6, 2022 to investigate the firings. They appeared to be the Bush staffers’ candid assessments of the fired U.S. Attorneys, not talking points being prepared for the press and Congress.

Most of the gripes about the other U.S. Attorneys centered on politics (“[Former Sen. Pete] Domenici [R-N.M.] said he bad U.S. Aty,” one note said of fired New Mexico prosecutor David Iglesias) or policy disagreements (“never sought death penalty,” notes about fired Arizona U.S. Attorney Paul Charlton read.)

But here’s what we found interesting: The apparently low opinion everyone had of Nevada U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden.

In one set of notes that appear to reflect a conversation with then-Deputy Assistant Attorney General Paul McNulty, the White House note-taker wrote that Bogden was so “low key - so low key that (he) shows no initiative/leadership.”

Daniel Bogden (Getty Images)

Bogden and eight other U.S. Attorneys were part of the 2006 purge. President Obama nominated Bogden last month for his old post after he was recommended by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) in March.

While the Bush DOJ tried to portray the prosecutor firings as rooted in performance issues and not politics, management problems actually might have been the case with Bogden. The views apparently expressed by McNulty were not too different from complaints of  prosecutors who Bogden supervised in the Nevada U.S. Attorney’s office. We previously reported that many of the office’s 50 prosecutors  were dismayed by Reid’s decision to recommend Bogden. They told the Las Vegas Sun that Bogden was aloof and had poor management skills.

Bogden does have the support of Reid, Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.), Las Vegas FBI chief Ellen Knowlton, U.S. District Judge Howard McKibben and attorney Craig Denney, who worked in the Nevada U.S. Attorney office.

The White House notes that apparently came from a conversation with McNulty added that Bogden was a “less severe” problem for the Bush administration than the other soon-to-be dismissed U.S. Attorneys and he we was not “defiant or insubordinate.”

McNulty was not immediately able to comment on the White House notes.

Well, here we are again. Four new nominations, four new questionnaires serving up the nominees’ private and public lives for your consumption.

Before you dig in, a note: We’ve seasoned the questionnaires with data from financial disclosure forms retrieved from the Office of Government Ethics. As we mentioned previously, the Senate Judiciary Committee deletes financial information from the questionnaires posted online here.

Here they are:

• David Bogden, District of Nevada. Click here.
• Deborah Gilg, District of Nebraska. Click here.
• Tim Heaphy, Western District of Virginia. Click here.
• Peter Neronha, District of Rhode Island. Click here.

Daniel Bogden (Ashland University, University of Toledo Law) is nominated to replace Gregory Brower, who took the baton from First Assistant United States Attorney Steven Myhre who — follow us here —  acted as a stopgap after Bogden was fired in 2006 as part of the U.S. Attorney purge.

Daniel Bogden (Getty Images)

So, the former Bush-era U.S. Attorney is among a select few, including Patrick Fitzgerald in the Northern District of Illinois and Jim Letten in the Eastern District of Louisiana, who may cross the partisan divide. He has a certain amount of street cred: Bogden was one of the fired U.S. Attorneys who testified before Congress in 2007 about politicization of the Bush DOJ. But his nomination has raised hackles in the Silver State. Prominent Nevada Democrats have voiced concerns about the selection, and some prosecutors in the office, who chafed at his management style, have said they will leave if Bogden is confirmed.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has said he never had a second-thought about recommending Bogden for the post, and the nominee is also close to Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.), whose messy extramarital affair has created another possible pitfall. Bogden could end up presiding over a criminal investigation involving Ensign or his family, creating a potential conflict of interest. (We assume he would recuse himself, but appearances are everything, as they say.)

In any event, Bogden is back.

Check out his vitals below:

• Born in Detroit in 1956.
• Is currently a Reno-based partner at McDonald Carano Wilson, practicing business law and business-related litigation. In 2008 and 2009, he received $208,586 in partnership draws, equity point distributions and bonuses from the firm. Upon his resignation, Bogden will receive a final draw for legal services performed in addition to a $7,349 partner equity point distribution from McDonald Carano Wilson.
• Was U.S. Attorney for the District of Nevada from Aug. 18, 2001 to Feb. 28, 2007.
• Was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Nevada from 1990 to 2001, assigned to the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). He spent four of those years as chief of the district’s Reno office.
• Served as an assistant staff judge advocate in the Air Force from 1982 to 1987, primarily focusing on criminal work.
• Spent the summer of 1979 working as a security patrolman at an Ohio amusement park, and was a security guard for Ford Motor Co. in the summer of 1978.
• Went to Ashland University on a football/baseball athletic scholarship and was First Team NCAA Academic All-American (football).
• Has never held a position or played a role in any political campaign.
• Has tried 110 cases to verdict as an assistant staff judge, deputy district attorney and Assistant U.S. Attorney.
• Has a mortgage on his rental property of between $50,001 and $100,000

Click here for his full questionnaire.

The Senate Judiciary Committee reported U.S. Attorney nominees Steven Dettelbach for Ohio’s Northern District and Carter M. Stewart for Ohio’s Southern District out of committee today by voice vote.

Steven Dettelbach (ohio.gov)

Carter M. Stewart

The group of U.S. Attorney nominees endorsed by the panel grew to seven members with the addition of Dettelbach and Stewart. There are another 10 U.S. Attorney appointees that the committee has not considered yet.

The U.S. Attorney nominees reported out of committee (not including Dettelbach and Stewart) are:

-Preet Bharara for the Southern District of New York (nominated June 4; reported out of committee June 18)

-Tristram Coffin for the District of Vermont (nominated June 4; reported out of committee June 18)

-Joyce Vance for the Northern District of Alabama (nominated June 4; reported out of committee June 18)

-John Paul Kacavas for the District of New Hampshire (nominated June 4; reported out of committee June 25)

-B. Todd Jones for the District of Minnesota (nominated June 4; reported out of committee June 25)

The U.S. Attorney appointees that the panel has not considered yet are:

- Jenny Durkan for the Western District of Washington (nominated: June 4)

- Paul Fishman for the District of New Jersey (nominated: June 4)

-Brendan Johnson for the District of South Dakota (nominated: July 14)

-Karen Loeffler for the District of Alaska (nominated: July 14)

-Florence Nakakuni for the District of Hawaii (nominated: July 14)

-Dennis K. Burke for the District of Arizona (nominated: July 14)

-Daniel Bogden for the District of Nevada (nominated: July 31)

-Deborah Gilg for the District of Nebraska (nominated: July 31)

-Timothy Heaphy for the Western District of Virginia (nominated: July 31)

-Peter Neronha for the District of Rhode Island (nominated: July 31)

Senate Judiciary Chair Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.)  called on the Senate again to move on all Justice Department nominees reported out of committee. Read our previous report on the delays here.

“I remain hopeful that the Senate Republican leadership will work with us to clear all these nominations for confirmation before the extended August recess,” Leahy said in a statement submitted for the record today. “Those that cannot be confirmed by unanimous consent or on a voice vote this week should be scheduled with appropriate time agreements for debate, and up-or-down votes upon the Senate’s return the week of Sept. 8.”

The panel today also approved by voice vote Vermont U.S. Marshal nominee David Demag and President Obama’s nominee to lead the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, David Kappos.