S.F. man tapped for U.S. attorney
Anderson one of two recommended by state’s congresssional delegates
John C. Anderson is a former assistant U.S. attorney now in private practice in Santa Fe.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday nominated a Santa Fe lawyer to serve as the federal government’s top prosecutor in New Mexico.
John C. Anderson, a former assistant U.S. attorney, has prosecuted players in some of the high-profile scandals that rocked New Mexico politics in recent years.
Now in private practice, he is poised to become the next U.S. attorney after Trump forced out Democrat Damon Martinez earlier this year along with dozens of federal prosecutors around the country who were appointed by then-President Barack Obama.
If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Anderson, 42, would take charge of an office responsible for investigating and prosecuting cases ranging from drug dealing to unauthorized immigration, espionage and terrorism. His jurisdiction would run along the Mexican border, across American Indian reservations where the federal government is responsible for prosecuting major crimes, and encompass national laboratories and military bases.
He also would take over an office under scrutiny for its handling of some of the state’s most charged issues, from police brutality to racial profiling and corruption.
Anderson was one of two candidates recommended for the job earlier this summer by Democratic U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich and Tom Udall and Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce.
“The New Mexico delegation worked closely together to identify and recommend qualified New Mexicans for federal law enforcement appointments,” they said in a joint statement Wednesday. “We appreciate that the White House acted on our recommendations for U.S. attorney, and we offer our sincere congratulations to John Anderson.”
Anderson served as an assistant U.S. attorney from 2008-13, focusing primarily on white-collar crime. He prosecuted Gov. Susana Martinez’s former campaign manager, Jamie Estrada, for intercepting Martinez’s emails and exposing her use of a campaign account well after taking office.
He also prosecuted Jason Loera, a Democratic political consultant who pleaded guilty last year to possession of child pornography.
At the law firm Holland and Hart, Anderson currently represents individuals and businesses in litigation as well as government investigations.
According to court records, he
has represented the Republican Party of New Mexico in defending the state’s closed primary election system. And he represented the prison health care company Corizon in an openrecords lawsuit.
Anderson on Wednesday described it as an honor to be nominated for the post. He deferred to the U.S. Department of Justice and the White House for further comment.
Raised on Long Island, Anderson graduated from Bowdoin College in Maine and received his law degree from Fordham University in New York.
Anderson first came to New Mexico after law school to clerk for 10th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Paul J. Kelly Jr. Anderson went on to become an associate at the firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in New York City before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Mexico.
He lives in Santa Fe with his wife and daughter, and he sits on the board of the Rio Grande School.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office has a heavy caseload. The office had 1,665 criminal cases pending in federal District Court at the end of last year.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney James Tierney has been serving on an interim basis as the top federal prosecutor in New Mexico since Damon Martinez resigned.