Nebraska has a new U-S Attorney as Steven Russell retired Friday and 1st-assistant Susan Lehr took over Saturday.
Neither is actually the U-S Attorney; that post has been vacant since current Nebraska Lt Governor Mike Kelly stepped down at the end of February 2021.
Jan Sharp followed Kelly as acting, then interim U-S Attorney until she retired last June. Russell had the same process – named as acting U-S Attorney by the federal district court and then interim.
Lehr, who’s been with the U-S Attorney’s Office for the District of Nebraska for 24 years, got the term acting with every indication it will be changed to interim before long.
President Joe Biden, following historical practice, asked for the resignations over nearly all the U-S Attorneys from his predecessor’s administration, but hasn’t taken steps to name anyone to the permanent position in Nebraska.
And the situation isn’t limited to Nebraska. The permanent U-S Attorney’s position in at least 30 other districts has been vacant since Biden took over.