Nick Brown, Vanessa Waldref confirmed as US attorneys

SEATTLE (AP) — The U.S. Senate has confirmed a pair of firsts to be the Justice Department’s top lawyers in Washington state. Nick Brown, the former general counsel to Gov. Jay Inslee, will be the first Black top federal prosecutor in Western Washington, while Vanessa Waldref, an environmental lawyer for the DOJ, will be the first woman to run the U.S. attorney’s office in Eastern Washington. The Senate confirmed them both by voice vote Thursday. They’re expected to be sworn in soon. President Joe Biden nominated them on the recommendation of Democratic Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell.