U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr has appointed Prim Escalona to serve as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama.
Escalona steps into the role on an interim basis after Jay Town recently made the decision to step down and join the private sector.
Escalona is a graduate of Birmingham-Southern College and the University of Alabama law school. She has worked in the U.S. Department of Justice since the beginning of the Trump administration.
The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District oversees an office of approximately 48 Assistant U.S. Attorneys, 38 support staff and 12 contract support staff according to the DOJ. The person in the role oversees the prosecution of all federal crimes that occur from north of Birmingham to Alabama’s border with Tennessee.
“I am pleased to appoint Prim F. Escalona as Interim U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama. Prim is a dedicated public servant with extensive legal experience,” said Barr in a release on Thursday.
In addition to her work at the DOJ, Escalona has in the past held positions at the law firm Maynard, Cooper & Gale, the Alabama Attorney’ General’s office, clerked for a federal judge in Montgomery, and taught at the University of Alabama law school.
Before receiving her law degree Escalona worked in the U.S. Senate, including for then-Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL).
“Prim’s commitment to preserving the rule of law and dedication to the mission of the Department of Justice will make her an outstanding U.S. Attorney for her home state of Alabama,” added Barr on Thursday.
The move was praised on Twitter by U.S. Representative Martha Roby.
Congratulations to Prim F. Escalona on her appointment as Interim U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama! Throughout my time serving on the House Judiciary Committee, I had the opportunity to interact w/ Prim as she served our country well at the @TheJusticeDept. https://t.co/Jg3PB2b4vN
— Martha Roby (@MarthaRobyAL) July 16, 2020
Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@new-yhn.local or on Twitter @HenryThornton95
