President Trump’s nominee for U.S. attorney in the District of Columbia is being widely praised. Jessie Liu, deputy general counsel for the Treasury Department, is described by lawyers who know her as smart, serious and hardworking. This is a critical office that has too long been without a permanent head, so we hope for speedy confirmation by the U.S. Senate.

But we must lament how the District’s congressional representative has been completely frozen out of the process that settled on Liu. It was another reminder that D.C. residents, U.S. citizens who pay taxes and go to war for their country, are denied the vital say in their government that is enjoyed by residents of states.

The District has no senators who can exercise their prerogative under the process that requires senators to sign off on nominees for federal district court judges and U.S. attorney offices before they are considered. So previous presidents of both parties carved out a role for Democratic Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton: Democratic Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama allowed her to recommend officials in the same manner as Democratic senators, and Republican President George W. Bush extended her the courtesy of being consulted, informing her of the candidate before nomination and soliciting her opinion. This time, Norton’s spokesman told us, she was informed of the nomination only shortly before it was made public.

What makes the District’s disenfranchisement all the more troublesome is that no other jurisdiction is as affected by its U.S. attorney as the District is. The office not only is responsible for the prosecution of federal crimes but also has jurisdiction over D.C. crimes committed by adults. The District is the only place in the United States, including U.S. territories, that does not have complete authority to prosecute local crimes.

We trust that Liu, once confirmed and in office, will understand the need for local cooperation and make it a priority.


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