08.05.10

Durbin: Senate Confirms Wigginton as U.S. Attorney in Southern District

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Senate has unanimously confirmed Stephen Wigginton to serve as U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Illinois.

 

“Throughout his years as a lawyer in Southern Illinois, Stephen Wigginton has shown integrity and independence that I am sure he will bring to the position of U.S. Attorney,” said Durbin. “It was an honor recommending his name to President Obama and voting on his nomination today.”

 

Wigginton has been a partner at the law firm of Weilmuenster & Wigginton in Belleville, Illinois since 2000 and has served as a part-time felony prosecutor for the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office since 1999. From 1992-2000, he worked as a litigator at law firms in Belleville and St. Louis, and from 1990-1992 he served as a criminal prosecutor in the Circuit Attorney’s Office in St. Louis. Wigginton has been a leader in the Illinois State Bar Association and Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, and he has received numerous awards for his pro bono services.

 

Last year, Durbin established three bipartisan screening committees to assist in selecting Federal District Court Judges, U.S. Attorneys, and U.S. Marshals for Illinois. The screening committees are comprised of 22 distinguished Illinoisans drawn from various aspects of the legal profession and include former judges, prominent litigators, law professors, bar association leaders, former prosecutors and defenders.

 

Members of this screening committee conducted interviews and made recommendations for U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Illinois. Durbin reviewed the recommendations, conducted interviews of finalists and, in consultation with members of the Illinois Congressional delegation, submitted the names of two individuals to the President, who makes the final decisions on nominations.