Andrew B. Birge
Andrew Byerly Birge, incumbent United States Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, was re-appointed by the Chief U.S. District Court Judge Robert J. Jonker as the district’s U.S. Attorney on March 13, 2018, upon the unanimous vote of the court. He was later sworn into office on March 16, 2018. Attorney Birge was appointed interim U.S. Attorney by Attorney General Jess Sessions in November 2017, following the resignation of former U.S. Attorney Patrick Miles Jr. in January 2017. He is now to continue from being interim to being appointed permanently for the position, having no presidential appointment thus far.
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Education
Andrew Byerly Birge received his undergraduate degree in Bachelor of Arts in History, graduating as cum laude and with distinction, at the Carleton College in 1989. He subsequently earned his Juris Doctor at the Columbia University School of Law, graduating as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar in 1994.
Legal Career
Straight out of law school, Andrew Byerly Birge began his legal career at the United States District Court Office of Michigan, under the Chief U.S. District Court Judge Richard A. Enslen. According to Andrew B. Birge, he was taught by Judge Eslen that “you feel justice in your gut,” which gave him “a real feeling for the importance of making sure the law is followed.” Later on, Andrew B. Birge became an Associate at the Jenner & Block law firm in Chicago, Illinois.
In 2001, Andrew Birge began working at the United States Attorney’s Office in Grand Rapids. During his first years in the office, he supervised the office’s appellate practice, and also prosecuted a variety of criminal cases. After working in the office for six years, Andrew B. Birge was appointed as the First Assistant in 2007. As the person in the senior-most managerial position in the office, he was responsible for being the chief advisor to the former U.S. Attorney Charles Gross. Furthermore, he oversaw both the criminal and civil litigations and the administrative initiatives of the office. In the next ten years of his service as the First Assistant, he served under former U.S. Attorneys Donald A. Davis, and Patrick Miles, who willingly kept him on in that position.
Accomplishments
Having worked in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Grand Rapids for over 18 years now, the office has seen countless success in Andrew Birge’s work in prosecuting violent crimes and drug trafficking. Andrew B. Birge reported that in his first year in the office as the U.S. Attorney, he was able to increase the number of prosecuted cases involving firearm cases, drug cases, and overall litigated matters to 65%, 30%, and 12%, respectively. He also mentioned that he aspires to bring about the same number of cases involving criminal immigration prosecutions, which was about 25% of the office’s caseload; however, he stated that the office would actively pursue white-collar crimes, and crimes in Tribal lands as well.
First Projects as U.S. Attorney
One of Atty Birge’s first works as the U.S. Attorney for the Western District on Michigan was to tackle a pressing issue that involved the Department of Justice. He declared a West-Michigan-specific strategy to combat the rising opioid epidemic, spearheading an inaugural education session at Grandville High School. The program is meant to support the treatment of people with substance abuse disorders and educating the public, focusing on the youth. Moreover, Andrew Byerly Birge leads another initiative from the national DOJ, which includes action against gender discrimination and sexual harassment.
Memberships
Andrew B. Birge is currently serving on the Opioid Working Group of the Controlled Substances Subcommittee and the Native American Issues and the Border and Immigration Subcommittees of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee.
Bar and Court Admissions
Having served in the states of both Illinois and Michigan, Andrew B. Birge has had several Bar and Court Admissions, including the Illinois State Bar Association in 1994, the U.S. District Court of both the Northern and Central District of Illinois in 1996 and 1999, respectively, and the State Bar of Michigan in 2001.
Contact Details
Full Name: Andrew Byerly Birge
District/State: Western District of Michigan
Public email ID: [email protected]
Lansing Office
315 W. Allegan
Lansing, Michigan
(517) 377-1577
Main
(517) 377-1698
Fax
Grand Rapids Office
330 Ionia Avenue, N.W.
Grand Rapids, MI
(616) 456-2404
Main
(616) 456-2408
Fax
Marquette Office
Huntington Bank Building
1930 US41 West
Marquette, MI
(906) 226-2500
Main
(906) 226-3700
Fax
Delivery Service
Lansing Office
315 W. Allegan
Room 209
Lansing, Michigan 48933
Grand Rapids Office
330 Ionia Avenue, N.W.
Suite 501
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Marquette Office
Huntington Bank Building, 2nd Floor
1930 US41 West
Marquette, MI 49855
Social Media Profiles of Andrew Birge
Twitter Field
Username: U.S. Attorney WDMI
Tag: @USAO_WDMI
URL: https://twitter.com/usao_wdmi
Updated: June 27, 2020
Mark A. Totten is the next State’s Attorney for the Western District of Michigan
Updated: May 20, 2023