"The United States Attorney is the representative not of an ordinary party to a controversy, but of a sovereignty whose obligation to govern impartially is as compelling as its obligation to govern at all; and whose interest, therefore, in a criminal prosecution is not that it shall win a case, but that justice be done. As such he is in a peculiar and very definite sense the servant of the law, the twofold aim of which is that guilt shall not escape or innocence suffer. He may prosecute with earnestness and vigor -- indeed he should do so. But, while he may strike hard blows, he is not at liberty to strike foul ones. It is as much his duty to refrain from improper methods calculated to produce a wrongful conviction as it is to use every legitimate means to bring about a just one."
-- Mr. Justice Sutherland in Berger v. United States, 295 U.S. 88 (1935)

History

The position of United States Attorney was created by the Judiciary Act of 1789, which provided for the appointment in each judicial district of a "[p]erson learned in the law to act as attorney for the United States... whose duty it shall be to prosecute in each district all delinquents for crimes and offenses cognizable under the authority of the United States, and all civil actions in which the United States shall be concerned..." This same act also established the position of Attorney General of the United States, specified the structure of the Supreme Court of the United States, and created inferior courts, including a district court system which make up the United States federal judiciary. Prior to the creation of the Department of Justice in 1870, the U.S. Attorneys were independent of the Attorney General and did not come under the Attorney General's supervision and authority until then.

The U.S. Attorney is appointed by the President of the United States for a term of four years, with appointments subject to confirmation by the Senate. A U.S. Attorney shall continue in office beyond the appointed term until a successor is appointed and qualified. The current U.S. Attorney is B. Todd Jones, who was appointed by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on August 7, 2009.

District of Minnesota

Minnesota was established as a territory and federal judicial district by the Congress of the United States on March 17, 1849. Two days later, Henry L. Moss was appointed its first U.S. Attorney by President Zachary Taylor and served for the first time in this position until 1853. Like several of his successors, Moss was re-appointed U.S. Attorney in 1863 and served until 1868. Since that time, the District's thirty-one (31) U.S. Attorneys have worked hard to uphold the laws of this nation and protect the rights and safety of the citizens of Minnesota.

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The Office

Presently, approximately 125 people, including more than fifty (50) Assistant U.S. Attorneys, work in the U.S. Attorney's Office in the District of Minnesota. The Office headquarters is in the federal courthouse in Minneapolis, and a branch office is maintained in St. Paul.

Functionally, the U.S. Attorney's Office in the District of Minnesota is divided into five divisions: a criminal division, civil division, appellate division, community relations division, and administrative division.

Mission Statement

The mission of the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota is to ensure that we provide the United States of America with high quality and professional legal representation, maintaining the highest ethical standards and, at all times, pursuing justice. We are wholly committed to the promotion of the public good and the safety of our community. Within this broader mission, we recognize that our primary responsibilities include:

* The prosecution of criminal offenses against the United States
* The prosecution or defense for the government of civil actions, suits, or proceedings in which the United States is concerned; and,
* Assisting communities within the District of Minnesota in appropriate community-building efforts designed to enhance public safety.

Former United States Attorneys -- District of Minnesota

Henry L. Moss: 1849-1853
John E. Warren: 1854-1855
Eugene M. Wilson: 1857-1861
Henry L. Moss: 1863-1868
Cushman K. Davis: 1868-1873
William W. Billson: 1873-1882
D.B. Searle: 1882-1885
George N. Baxter: 1885-1890
Eugene G. Hay: 1890-1894
E.C. Stringer: 1894-1898
Charles C. Houpt: 1902-1914
Alfred Jaques: 1914-1922
Layfayette French Jr.: 1922-1928
Lewis L. Dull: 1928-1933
George F. Sullivan: 1933-1937
Victor E. Anderson: 1937-1948
John W. Graff: 1948-1949
Clarence Landrum: 1949-1952
Phillip Neville: 1952-1953
George E. MacKinnon: 1953-1958
Fallon Kelly: 1958-1961
Miles W. Lord: 1961-1966
Patrick J. Foley: 1966-1969
Robert G. Renner: 1969-1977
Andrew W. Danielson: 1977-1979
Thomas K. Berg: 1980-1981
James M. Rosenbaum: 1981-1985
Jerome G. Arnold: 1986-1991
Thomas B. Heffelfinger: 1991-1993
David L. Lillehaug: 1994-1998
B. Todd Jones: 1998-2001
Thomas B. Heffelfinger: 2001-2006
Rachel K. Paulose: 2006-2007
B. Todd Jones: 2009-present