From the Belleville News Democrat:

Posted on Sun, Feb. 11, 2007

Wanted: A U.S. attorney
When, oh when, will Southern Illinois get its new U.S. attorney?

When Belleville native Phillip J. Green was nominated for the job, we were told the confirmation process would take four to six weeks. That was in June, eight months ago.

The five other U.S. attorney candidates nominated by President Bush the same day won confirmation in the Senate months ago. Green's appointment has lingered so long now that a new session of Congress has begun, and the process has to start anew.

But Green has not yet been renominated by the Bush administration. Tasia Scolinos, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Justice, said they are checking into a complaint against Green: "The review has not been completed and while we are working to address it as quickly as possible, there is no set timeline."

An anonymous writer tried to derail Green's appointment with allegations related to a sentencing in Michigan, where Green is an assistant U.S. attorney. But the review shouldn't take this long. The record is clear that Green is an ethical, principled attorney. The chief federal judge in West Michigan told The Grand Rapids Press that Green is "Mr. Integrity."

The Bush administration needs to quit dragging its feet.

Southern Illinois needs a permanent U.S. attorney who can aggressively take on crime and corruption. The Southern District has been without one since November 2005. Acting U.S. attorney Randy Massey is doing a fine job in the interim, but he's not likely to start controversial prosecutions. For instance, some people in the legal community think the office is waiting for a new leader to decide whether to prosecute powerful attorney Tom Lakin.

Once Green is renominated, Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, needs to get his confirmation on the fast track.

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