Western WA’s top federal prosecutor announces resignation

By Peter Talbot / The News Tribune

TACOMA — The top federal prosecutor for Western Washington, Nick Brown, announced Tuesday he is stepping down as a U.S. attorney.

Brown, 46, was one of the youngest people to hold the position as the district’s chief federal law enforcement officer, and he was the first Black man to do so. A Washington native, he also has ties to Pierce County as a 1995 graduate of Steilacoom High School. In a tweet, Brown said his resignation was effective Wednesday. He called his job, which he began in October 2021 after being nominated by President Joe Biden, the highest honor of his career.

“Building safe and healthy communities is one of the most important challenges we face as a state. Leading the federal partners who work to keep our communities safe and learning from our community partners has reinforced for me the need to tackle these difficult challenges head on,” Brown said in a news release.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman will serve as the acting U.S. attorney. She previously served in that role when former U.S. Attorney Brian Moran left the office in February 2021.

In an announcement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office highlighted Brown’s emphasis on protecting civil rights. He chaired the Attorney General’s Advisory Subcommittee on Civil Rights, and under him, Brown’s office said it prioritized preventing and prosecuting hate crimes.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office also spotlighted Brown’s work addressing the fentanyl crisis, combating gun crime and empowering community voices in public safety efforts. He partnered with state and local officials to lead multiple prosecutions of groups that the office said funneled drugs into western Washington communities and used guns in their criminal conduct. Brown’s office pointed out that he brought multiple illegal firearm trafficking cases, including cases involving “ghost guns”. A ghost gun is an untraceable firearm without a serial number that is assembled, typically from a kit.

During his time in office, Brown also testified before Congress about community partnerships supported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office that work to stop gun violence and help people who have been incarcerated reenter communities.

“I hope to return to public service in the future, but I know that the U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue its excellent work under the career attorneys and professional staff who assisted me during my time in office,” Brown said

Brown was previously a litigation partner at Pacifica Law Group in Seattle, where he handled complex civil and regulatory litigation, public policy, municipal law and other matters for public and private clients. He also served as general counsel to Gov. Jay Inslee from 2013 to 2017.

Some others might remember him as a contestant on the second season of “Survivor,” which aired in 2001. After his stint on the show, he graduated from Harvard Law School, then went on to serve as a judge advocate general in the Army until 2007, when he started as an assistant U.S. attorney for Western Washington.