Colorado’s federal district court judges have extended William Leone’s tenure at the helm of the Colorado U.S. attorney’s office in an order that takes effect Nov. 25.
The order, which was recorded Monday, renews Leone’s temporary status as head of the federal prosecutors office as the process of choosing and confirming a replacement continues to face delays in Washington, D.C.
Eleven months have passed since state political circles were abuzz with speculation about whom the White House would nominate as the next U.S. attorney for Colorado, replacing John Suthers, who became Colorado’s attorney general.
What was expected to be a quick process has dragged on months longer than expected, partly attributable to the administration’s dealing with the nomination of a new top official at the U.S. Justice Department and two U.S. Supreme Court vacancies.
The wait has Colorado’s senior senator “very frustrated” and has left the three leading candidates adrift as they try to plan their private and professional lives.
“Obviously, I’m concerned about the delay of the process,” said U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo.
The action by the district court judges is set out in the federal vacancy act, which gives the judges the authority to appoint a U.S. attorney to “serve until the vacancy is filled.”
Sean Conway, Allard’s chief of staff, said he has been told that the White House may send a nominee to the U.S. Senate before the Thanksgiving holiday, but acknowledged that he has heard several times previously that the Colorado nomination was imminent.
The nominee then must be confirmed by the Senate’s judiciary committee.
The so-called vetting process – checking the backgrounds of candidates – is done and no problems have emerged, according to sources close to the selection process.
The candidates are Troy Eid, former legal counsel to Gov. Bill Owens; Jim Peters, a career prosecutor who was the district attorney for the 18th Judicial District; and Stu VanMeveren, who had been district attorney for the 8th Judicial District for 32 years.
Conway said that the nominations of U.S. attorneys for several states including Colorado are being worked on and bundled, so that they may be sent to the U.S. Senate’s judiciary committee together, which has been done on previous occasions.
Colorado is one of 15 U.S. attorney’s offices that are being led by interim chiefs, according to the U.S. Department of Justice’s website.
Tom Sansonetti, a Wyoming lawyer who had been U.S. assistant attorney general for environment and natural resources until April, said dealing with interim U.S. attorneys can slow down cases.
That’s because the interim chiefs typically see themselves as caretakers and are unwilling to make decisions a successor might disagree with, he said.
“Why this particular one has taken so long is beyond me,” Sansonetti said.
Staff writer Greg Griffin contributed to this report.
Staff writer Alicia Caldwell can be reached at 303-820-1930 or acaldwell@denverpost.com.
