D. Michael Hurst, a Newton County native, was confirmed Tuesday as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi.

Hurst was confirmed by unanimous consent to serve a four-year term as U.S. Attorney.  President Donald Trump nominated Hurst in June following a recommendation from Senators Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker.

 In their recommendation of Hurst to President Trump, Cochran and Wicker noted that he was “exceptionally well-qualified to take on the important and challenging role of U.S. Attorney.”

  Hurst, a native of Hickory, is the current director of the Mississippi Justice Institute, a division of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy.  He served as Assistant U.S. Attorney in Jackson from 2006 to 2015, working the criminal division.  Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s office, Hurst was legislative director and counsel to former U.S. Representative Chip Pickering (R-Miss.), as well as counsel to the Constitution Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee.  Hurst is a graduate of East Central Community College, Millsaps College and the George Washington University Law School.

  The nomination of William Chadwick (Chad) Lamar of Oxford to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi is pending in the Senate Judiciary Committee.