An attorney from west central Illinois has been nominated by President Trump to become the next U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois.
On Friday, President Trump officially nominated John C. Milhiser for the new role as the top federal prosecutor overseeing cases in central Illinois. A graduate of the University of Illinois’ College of Law, Milhiser’s legal career started in 1997 in the Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office. He then spent five years practicing private law before returning as Sangamon County’s first assistant state’s attorney in 2008. He has served as Sangamon County state’s attorney for almost eight years dating back to 2010.
The previous U.S. attorney for the Central District of Illinois, Jim Lewis, stepped down after his retirement in December of 2016. Since that time, the role has been filled first by Patrick Hansen, who served until November of 2017 before John Childress was appointed as the district’s interim U.S. attorney.
With Milhiser’s nomination, a number of Illinois Congressmen are sharing their reactions to the news. One of those Congressmen is U.S. Representative Darin LaHood of Illinois’ 18th District. In a statement, LaHood refers to Milhiser as “a career prosecutor with a tremendous record of being tough on crime and enforcing the rule of law.” LaHood goes on to say that, “Over the last eight years, John has been extremely effective, along with law enforcement, in making Sangamon County a safer place to live and work. His reputation for integrity and fairness will serve him and the citizens of the Central District well. Having been recommended with bipartisan support, we urge our colleagues in the Senate to move swiftly to confirm him.”
Illinois’ senators, Democrats Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin, also praised the nomination, saying that they expect Milhiser to be “a diligent, thoughtful and principled U.S. Attorney.
It’s now up to the U.S. Senate to confirm Milhiser’s nomination and officially place him in the new role. If the Senate does in fact make that confirmation, Milhiser would become the lead prosecutor for a number of high-profile federal cases, including the case against former U.S. Representative Aaron Schock, and the case against Brendt Chistensen, who faces accusations of kidnapping and killing Yingying Zhang, a visiting University of Illinois scholar.