Connecticut’s top federal prosecutor will resign hours before Donald Trump takes office, she announced Monday.
Vanessa Roberts Avery began her role as U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut in 2022. She plans to resign at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 17, the Justice Department announced. Trump’s inauguration is scheduled for 9 a.m. the following Monday, Jan. 20.
Avery was the first Black woman to serve as U.S. Attorney for Connecticut. She earned the appointment from President Biden after working as an assistant attorney in the federal office from 2014 to 2019 and at top positions in the Connecticut Attorney General’s office from 2019 to 2022.
“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as United States Attorney, and I am profoundly appreciative of President Biden for trusting me to serve our nation and the people of Connecticut in this position,” Avery said Monday in a statement.
Avery’s resignation is the latest in a series of Biden-appointed U.S. attorneys throughout the tristate area. Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Breon Peace and New Jersey U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger all announced plans to step down in November and December, after Trump’s electoral victory.
In her resignation letter, Avery stressed her commitment to community engagement throughout Connecticut as a means to reduce crime. She did not announce her follow-up plans. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Silverman will take over after Avery departs the office.
“Marc and the Office’s superb supervisory team have the highest professional and ethical standards,” Avery said, “and together with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners will ensure that the administration of justice will seamlessly continue in our District.”