President Barack Obama on Wednesday nominated former Assistant U.S. Attorney Arenda L. Wright Allen to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Wright Allen worked as a federal prosecutor in the Western District of Virginia from 1990 to 1991 and in the Eastern District of Virginia from 1991 to 2005. Since then she has been a supervisory assistant federal public defender in the Federal Public Defender’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

She earned her law degree from from North Carolina Central University in 1985 and her bachelor’s degree from Kutztown State College in 1982.

The Western District of Virginia U.S. Attorney’s Office is ramping up its efforts to assist local crime prevention organizations in a new community outreach project.

U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia Tim Heaphy is creating a community outreach pilot program in his district. (Sorenson Institute)

U.S. Attorney Timothy Heaphy will officially unveil the pilot program Tuesday in Roanoke, Va., where the U.S. Attorney’s office is based. Heaphy told Main Justice that the project, which has three years of funding, is designed to complement the efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s office to prosecute criminals in Western Virginia.

“We [don't] want to make these big cases and have others step right into the shoes behind the folks that we’ve locked up,” said Heaphy, who has led the U.S. Attorney’s office since October. “We [have] got to try to prevent them from perpetuating the cycle by bringing in recreation programs and gang diversion programs.”

The U.S. Attorney said the project has its roots in the community outreach efforts he saw as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in D.C under then-U.S. Attorney Eric Holder. The D.C. U.S. Attorney’s office assigns prosecutors to different neighborhoods to meet with the residents and handle their cases.

But there is not a dedicated Community Outreach Coordinator in D.C., which makes the Western District program unique.

Gwen Mason

The U.S. Attorney has hired Gwen Mason, a former Roanoke councilwoman, to be the Community Outreach Coordinator. Heaphy said Mason does not have a background in law, but understands how local and federal government work.

He said she will travel the district to help community groups obtain federal funding for crime prevention activities and help groups share ideas on what programs work best.

“A lot of people who are doing this work are kind of disconnected from each other,” Heaphy said. “She’s going to convene these regional discussions about crime prevention in these different parts of our district and start a regular conversation among these folks about what they are doing and how their work impacts and dovetails with each other.”

The U.S. Attorney said Mason will also engage in special outreach to groups such as the Latino community in the Shenandoah Valley.

“There are a lot of sort of seasonal workers and recent immigrants and we kind of want to reach out to them,” Heaphy said. “I have a sense of their perceptions of the criminal justice system and how we might be able to serve them better.”

Mason told Main Justice that her new job is an “exciting opportunity.”

“I have deep roots and a deep appreciation for this part of the state,” Mason said.

Mason and Heaphy will meet with community groups over the next several weeks in towns and cities across the district to roll out the program.

Keith Farmer, director of Straight Street, a Roanoke nonprofit organization that helps local youth, told Main Justice he is excited about the program.

“I know that is a huge goal and mission for the department and it will have a tremendous impact not only on the communities but also families too,” Farmer wrote in an e-mail. He added: “This new initiative can help break the cycle and offer hope and future for generations to come.”

John Brownlee (Holland & Knight LLP)

Former federal prosecutor John Brownlee has been named co-chair of Holland & Knight LLP’s white collar defense team, according to a news release. Brownlee currently is a partner based in the firm’s McLean, Va. and Washington, D.C., offices.

From 1997 to 2001, Brownlee was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Columbia. Brownlee was named the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia in 2001, a position he served in for nearly seven years. After leaving the U.S. Attorney’s office he joined Holland & Knight LLP, where his practice has focused on enforcement defense matters. In addition, Brownlee is heavily involved in the firm’s Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and False Claims Act practices.

Holland & Knight LLP’s Managing Partner Steven Sonberg said, “I am pleased that John has accepted my request to co-chair our national White Collar Defense Team,” adding, “John’s broad legal experience and distinguished record as the United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for District of Columbia will be tremendous assets as John takes on this new leadership role.”

A former acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia was tapped to be the clerk of the area’s federal court, The Associated Press reported Tuesday.

Julia Dudley (DOJ)

Julia Dudley, who led the Roanoke, Va.-based U.S. Attorney’s office from May 2008 until October 2009, will succeed John Corcoran, who is stepping down as the clerk of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia on Aug. 1, 2010.

She currently holds the First Assistant U.S. Attorney, civil chief, crisis management coordinator and ethics advisoral responsibility officer posts in the U.S. Attorney’s office. Dudley has worked for the office since 1988. Read more about her here.

A crippling blizzard pounding the East Coast has forced nearly a dozen U.S. Attorney’s offices to close and has curtailed Justice Department operations in Washington today, according to DOJ officials.

A weekend snowstorm shut down the Justice Department on Monday. (photo by Ryan J. Reilly).

Many DOJ employees who work at DOJ headquarters in Washington and at U.S. Attorney’s offices stretching from Virginia to Rhode Island are working from home on BlackBerries, cell phone and laptops, the officials said.

The Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building in Washington, the DOJ’s main building, is open for essential personnel who are able to make it through the heavy snow and 40 mile per hour winds. There are about 25,300 people who work for DOJ agencies in the Washington area, according to CNN.

Several U.S. Attorney’s offices and DOJ headquarters have been closed or have had limited operations since Monday because of a storm that brought more than a foot of snow to most of the East Coast last weekend, according to reports here and here.

Today’s storm hit while authorities were still struggling to clean up from the last one.

The U.S. Attorney’s offices that are closed today are in:

• Maryland. The office was also closed on Monday.

• The District of Columbia. The office has been closed since Monday.

• The Eastern District of Virginia (Alexandria office). The office has been closed since Monday.

• The Western District of Virginia (Charlottesville and Harrisonburg offices).

• The Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

• The Middle District of Pennsylvania.

• The Western District of Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh and Johnstown offices).

• The Eastern District of New York.

• New Jersey.

• Rhode Island.

• Delaware.

U.S. Attorney’s offices in the Eastern District of Arkansas, Western District of Arkansas, Northern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Tennessee and Kansas were shuttered on Monday because of the weather, according to CNN. The Eastern District of Arkansas U.S. Attorney’s Office was also closed on Tuesday, CNN said.

DOJ spokesperson Gina Talamona told Main Justice that DOJ public safety and national security functions are “operational.” She added that the DOJ has made special arrangements for its legal division attorneys to work during the storms and keep up with court deadlines.

This report has been corrected from an earlier version.

The recently confirmed Western District of Virginia U.S. Attorney plans to focus on prescription drug and gang crimes at the Roanoke, Va.-based office, the local NBC affiliate reported today.

Timothy Heaphy (McGuire Woods)

Timothy Heaphy, who was sworn in earlier this month, told WSLS that prescription drug abuse is a major problem in Western Virginia.

“We need to build larger cases,” Heaphy told the television station. “The way you stop this is by really going after the people who make money.”

The U.S. Attorney also told WSLS that he will address gang crime in the Western District. Heaphy said he will work to secure grant money to fight gang crime.

“There’s no question that in small cities like Roanoke, or Danville, or Charlottesville, we have gang membership and gang recruitment,” he told the television station.

Heaphy previously served as the office’s anti-gang coordinator in the Charlottesville branch from May 2003 to December 2005. He told WSLS that he plans to commute from his home in Charlottesville to Roanoke several days a week, though it will be tough on his family.

Timothy Heaphy (McGuire Woods)

Timothy Heaphy was sworn in as U.S. Attorney the Roanoke-based Western District of Virginia this morning, the Rockbridge Weekly reported today.

According to the Rockbridge Weekly, at the swearing in, Heaphy said he felt a deep sense of honor taking the post. “This office will continue to work with all of the diverse communities in the Western District to both prevent crime and punish those who break the law. I look forward to that important effort, and to working to promote justice in the days ahead,” Heaphy said.

Heaphy, who was confirmed by the Senate yesterday, will replace acting U.S. Attorney Julia Dudley.

Formerly a partner at Charlottesville law firm McGuireWoods, Heaphy will become the first presidentially-appointed U.S. Attorney for the Roanoake office since Jim Brownlee. Brownlee resigned last spring to run for the Republican nomination for state attorney general. He lost to Ken Cuccinelli.

Read more about Heaphy here.

The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia won confirmation Wednesday night by unanimous consent.

Timothy Heaphy (McGuire Woods)

Timothy Heaphy will replace acting U.S. Attorney Julia Dudley at the Roanoke, Va.-based post. President Obama nominated the partner at McGuireWoods in Charlottesville, Va., July 31. Read more about the Heaphy here.

Heaphy will be the first presidentially appointed U.S. Attorney to lead Western District of Virginia since John Brownlee, who resigned in April 2008 to campaign for the Virginia attorney general Republican nomination. Brownlee lost the nomination to state Sen. Ken Cuccinelli in May.

The Senate has now confirmed 16 U.S. Attorneys. The body has yet to consider U.S. Attorney nominees Brendan Johnson for South Dakota and Karen Loeffler for Alaska, who were reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee last week. There are another 12 nominees, who are waiting for votes in committee.

The Senate Judiciary Committee endorsed the U.S. Attorney nominee for the Western District of Virginia today by unanimous consent.

Timothy Heaphy (McGuire Woods)

The president nominated Timothy Heaphy for the Roanoke-based post July 31. The partner at McGuireWoods in Charlottesville, Va., would succeed acting U.S. Attorney Julia Dudley. Read more about the nominee here.

Heaphy would be the first presidentially appointed U.S. Attorney to lead Western District of Virginia since John Brownlee, who resigned in April 2008 to campaign for the Virginia attorney general Republican nomination. Brownlee lost the nomination to state Sen. Ken Cuccinelli in May.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has  now  approved a total of 16 U.S. Attorney nominees. The Senate has confirmed 14 of those nominees. The panel has yet to vote on 10  nominees.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is slated to consider President Obama’s pick to lead the Western District of Virginia U.S. Attorney’s Office at its business meeting Thursday, according to the panel’s Web site.

Timothy Heaphy (McGuire Woods)

The president tapped Timothy Heaphy for the post July 31. The partner at McGuireWoods in Charlottesville, Va. would replace acting U.S. Attorney Julia Dudley. Read more about the nominee here.

Heaphy would be the first presidentially appointed U.S. Attorney to lead the office since John Brownlee, who resigned in April 2008 to campaign for the Virginia attorney general Republican nomination.

Brownlee lost the nomination to State Sen. Ken Cuccinelli in May. The former U.S. Attorney is now a partner at D.C.-area law firm Holland & Knight.

The Senate Judiciary Committee still has to schedule panel votes on 11 U.S. Attorney nominees. The panel has considered and approved a total of 15 U.S. Attorney nominees. The Senate has confirmed 11 U.S. Attorneys who have been reported out of committee.