Senate confirms Natalie Wight as the Oregon US attorney

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The U.S. Senate has confirmed Natalie Wight as Oregon’s U.S. attorney, formally making her the top federal law enforcement official in the state.

The longtime federal prosecutor has served as the court-appointed U.S. attorney since June after being nominated by President Joe Biden, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.

Wight graduated from Cleveland High School in Portland. She is the first Black person and the second Asian American person to serve as the district’s U.S. attorney.

Wight graduated from the University of Notre Dame Law School in 2003. She worked as a lawyer for the Federal Bureau of Prisons before becoming a federal prosecutor in California.

In 2012, Wight became an assistant U.S. attorney in Oregon working on both civil and criminal prosecutions.

Wight was selected by the White House from three finalists.

“Natalie Wight has long been a community leader with an exemplary record of integrity and independence, and we’re gratified the entire Senate has confirmed her nomination to be U.S. Attorney for Oregon,” Oregon’s U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said in a written joint statement.