Photo: Alamy
The Senate on Saturday confirmed former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, approving her nomination 50-45 after President Donald Trump withdrew his initial pick for the post.
Pirro, a former county judge and district attorney in New York, had been serving as acting U.S. attorney in the nation’s capital since May. Before joining the Justice Department, she co-hosted Fox News’ “The Five,” where she frequently interviewed Trump.
Her confirmation follows the president’s decision to rescind the nomination of conservative activist Ed Martin Jr., who faced bipartisan opposition over his vocal defense of those involved in the events of Jan. 6, 2021. Martin now serves as the Justice Department’s pardon attorney.
Pirro’s nomination advanced after Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to send her to the full Senate. Democratic members boycotted the vote to protest the nomination of Emil Bove for a federal appeals court seat.
A 1975 graduate of Albany Law School, Pirro brings decades of courtroom experience. She was elected to the Westchester County Court bench in 1990 and went on to serve three terms as the county’s district attorney.
Pirro was sworn in as interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia on May 14, 2025. She brings more than 30 years of law enforcement experience.
She previously served as an Assistant District Attorney in Westchester County, New York, and later became the first woman elected as a judge on the Westchester County Court. She also made history as the first woman elected to three consecutive terms as Westchester County District Attorney and served as the first female president of the New York State District Attorneys Association.
Pirro launched the nation’s first domestic violence unit within a prosecutor’s office and introduced several other victim-centered initiatives. She is the author of eight books, including multiple New York Times best sellers.
