This year marks the 200th anniversary of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.
In 1815, even before Michigan became a state, President James Madison appointed Solomon Sibley to be the first U.S. Attorney for the Michigan Territory. He handled matters such as customs violations, public land disputes and claims arising from the War of 1812 pertaining to payments to soldiers and damage to farms by U.S. troops.
Over the years, as interstate travel created opportunities for crime that was national in scope, the U.S. Attorney's offices expanded to address federal crimes such as bank robbery, mail and wire fraud and organized crime. Serving as local branch offices for the U.S. Department of Justice, our nation's 94 U.S. Attorney's Offices today take on matters that are not just national but international in scope, such as terrorism, cyber crime, identity theft and child exploitation.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, which covers the 34 counties in the eastern half of the lower peninsula, now employs 115 lawyers and another 100 support professionals, such as paralegals, legal assistants, analysts, victim coordinators, a law enforcement coordinator and an intelligence specialist. We represent the legal interests of the United States in criminal and civil cases. Cases range from public corruption to violent crime to fraud to civil rights to torts.
Legal issues have become more complicated since 1815. We wrestle with the appropriate search and seizure standards for information contained in email, text messages, GPS devices and other technologies that did not exist in those early days of the office. We collect and share electronically stored information in discovery. We work to have an inclusive workforce to reflect the diverse community we serve.
Despite the fact that we deal with a number of issues that were unimaginable 200 years ago, some things remain constant. We maintain our commitment to justice, fairness and service to the people of our district. Those values are eternal. And we pledge to adhere to them as we embark on our next 200 years.
Barbara L. McQuade
United States Attorney
Eastern District of Michigan