New Haven native a nominee for U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut

HARTFORD, CT (WFSB) - The president announced his nomination for the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut.

Biden nominating 6 lawyers for federal prosecutor posts

The nominees, being announced by the White House on Wednesday, would run the federal prosecutors’ offices in Alaska, Connecticut, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico and Utah.

Vanessa Avery, a New Haven native, was announced as one of six nominees for U.S. attorneys offices across the country.

The candidates were “chosen for their devotion to enforcing the law, their professionalism, their experience and credentials in this field, their dedication to pursuing equal justice for all, and their commitment to the independence of the Department of Justice,” the White House said.

Avery is currently serving as associate attorney general to Connecticut Attorney General William Tong. She's also chief of the Division of Enforcement and Public Protection.

In those roles, she manages all aspects of affirmative enforcement by the office, including multi-district litigation and investigations involving the opioid epidemic, the Affordable Care Act, federal immigration laws, and environmental regulation, as well as cases pending locally in state and federal courts and before administrative agencies.

“Vanessa Avery is exceptionally qualified, incredibly hardworking, and an excellent choice to serve as United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut," Tong said. "She is universally respected by every colleague she has worked with and has deep connections across the Connecticut legal community. In our work together, Vanessa always leads with integrity and a strong commitment to justice, and she insists on accountability and respect for the rule of law. I will miss her leadership and guidance here in the Office of the Attorney General, but am so proud of this achievement and look forward to working closely with her in this new well-deserved role should she be confirmed,”

Before joining Tong's office, Avery was an assistant United States attorney in the civil division of the United States Attorney's Office, District of Connecticut. She handled a broad variety of cases on behalf of the United States, its agencies and employees, including affirmative civil enforcement, defense contractor fraud, health care fraud, other False Claims Act violations, civil rights, environmental, and asset forfeiture cases, as well as medical malpractice, Bivens, FOIA and employment defense. She represented the office on the Local Civil Rules Advisory Committee for the U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut. She previously served as a Trial Attorney for the Department of Justice Civil Division in Washington, D.C.

Avery earned a law degree at the Georgetown University Law Center, after completing her undergraduate studies at Yale University. She grew up in New Haven and is a proud graduate of the New Haven Public Schools

Avery's nomination is subject to confirmation by the U.S. Senate.