The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed Natalie Wight as
Oregon’s next U.S. attorney, formally making her the top federal law
enforcement official in the state.
Wight, a longtime federal prosecutor, has served as the
court-appointed U.S. attorney since June, shortly after she was nominated by
President Joe Biden.
Wight is from Oregon and graduated from Cleveland High
School in Portland. She is the first Black person and the second Asian American
person to serve as the district’s U.S. attorney.
Wight graduated from the University of Notre Dame Law School
in 2003. She has spent her career working for the federal government, first as
a lawyer for the Federal Bureau of Prisons before becoming a federal prosecutor
in California.
In 2012, Wight became an assistant U.S. attorney in Oregon,
where she’s worked on both civil and criminal prosecutions.
One of her highest-profile cases involved the 2019
prosecution of a Beaverton man convicted of ordering materials to make a bomb.
That man later set off an explosive device after federal agents and members of
the Joint Terrorism Task Force searched his home. He was sentenced to 40 years
in prison.
Wight was selected by the White House from three finalists.
“Natalie Wight has long been a community leader with an
exemplary record of integrity and independence, and we’re gratified the entire
Senate has confirmed her nomination to be U.S. Attorney for Oregon,”
Oregon’s U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said in a written joint
statement following her confirmation by the U.S. Senate. “We thank
President Biden for nominating this very well-qualified Oregonian, and look
forward to working with Ms. Wight in this vitally important post serving our
state.”
English 
Spanish