The very first Black U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington has been appointed. Former General Counsel to Governor Jay Inslee, Nicholas W. Brown, made history as he was sworn in as the first Black U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington on October 8. 2021. He was primarily nominated by President Joe Biden on July 26, 2021, and was then confirmed by the U.S. Senate on a voice vote on September 30, 2021. Chief U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez administered the oath of office of U.S. Attorney Nicholas W. Brown as he takes over from former Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman, who was temporarily appointed in the highest position in the Office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Washington following the resignation of former U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran in March 2021.
Table of Contents
- Educational and Military Background
- Education
- Military Service
- Awards
- Published Writings
- Legal Internships and Teaching Background
- Legal Career of Attorney Nicholas Brown
- Military Service at U.S. Army
- U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington
- Office of Washington State Governor Jay Inslee
- Bar and Court Admissions
- Bar Admissions
- Bar Associations
- Court Admissions
- Memberships
- Most Significant Litigated Matters
- 10 most significant litigated matters handled by Attorney Nicholas W. Brown
- Office Jurisdiction
- Contact Details
- Seattle – Main Office
- Tacoma – Branch Office
- Social Media Profiles of Attorney Nicholas W. Brown
Educational and Military Background
United States Attorney Nicholas Brown earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the Morehouse College, graduating Magna Cum Laude in May 1999. He then received his Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School in December 2002. Prior to entering law school, U.S. Attorney Brown registered for the selective military service, where he became a part of the United States Army from May 1999 to June 2007. U.S. Attorney Brown has held several leadership positions throughout his military service, including being First Lieutenant in May 2001 and becoming Captain in November 2003. U.S. Attorney Brown has been granted several awards and scholarships during his academic career, such as the Army R.O.T.C. Scholarship for his whole tertiary education and numerous military medals and ribbons.
Education
- Harvard Law School, 1999 – 2002
J.D., December 2002 - Morehouse College, 1995 – 1999
B.A. in Political Science, May 1999
Military Service
- United States Army
- Captain (Date of Rank, Effective: November 26, 2003)
- First Lieutenant (Date of Rank, Effective: May 14, 2001)
May 1999 – June 2007
Honorable Discharge
Awards
- Morehouse College
- Phi Beta Kappa, 1999
- Magna cum laude, 1999
- Army R.O.T.C. Scholarship, 1995 – 1999
- Awarded the following military medals and ribbons
- Army Commendation Medal (2nd Award), 2006
- Bronze Star Medal, 2005
- Iraq Campaign Medal, 2005
- Overseas Service Ribbon, 2005
- Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, 2004
- Army Achievement Medal, 2004
- National Defense Service Medal, 2003
- Army Service Ribbon, 2003
- Distinguished Alumni Award, Steilacoom High School, 2009
Published Writings
- Harvard Law Today, “Letter from Baghdad,” April 1, 2005
Legal Internships and Teaching Background
Top Federal Prosecutor Nicholas Brown launched his legal career as early as the summer following his graduation from university. He worked as a Legal Intern at the Office of the Attorney General for the State of Washington from May to August 1999. The following year, he worked two months as a Summer Associate at the Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe LLP and spent the next summer working for the firm a second time. In his last year in law school, U.S. Attorney served as a Teaching Assistant in Harvard Law School and as a Teaching Fellow at Harvard University, from March to May and September to December, respectively. He also became a Research Intern at the Kennedy School of Government during this time.
Legal Career of Attorney Nicholas Brown
Military Service at U.S. Army
Succeeding his completion of the Army Judge Advocate Basic Course and Army Airborne School, Top Federal Prosecutor Brown began fulfilling his work in the U.S. Army as a lawyer and served as a Legal Services & Tax Officer in the U.S. Army Fort Bliss from August 2003 to May 2004. In this position, U.S. Attorney Brown was tasked to assist soldiers and their family members in an array of legal matters such as consumer protection cases and family law. Furthermore, he became responsible for supervising a team of 15 soldiers in preparing returns for a military program that aimed to provide free income tax preparation service for military members at Fort Bliss. The United States Attorney Brown served as a Trial Defense Attorney in the U.S. Army Trial Defense Services from May 2004 to June 2006. He represented soldiers in several criminal prosecutions and administrative violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, including litigations involving multiple jury trials and administrative hearings. Within his two years of service as a Trial Defense Attorney, U.S. Attorney Brown was temporarily assigned in the 3rd Armored Division in Fort Stewart, Georgia. He was essential in providing trial defense services during the Division’s deployment in Iraq. Returning to Fort Bliss in December 2005, U.S. Attorney Brown maintained a similar role as he had during his deployment in Camp Liberty in Baghdad. In June 2006 through 2007, U.S. Attorney William Brown was named a Prosecutor and Trial Counsel in the U.S. Army I Corps & Fort Lewis, Washington. In this role, U.S. Attorney Brown held a supervisory position. He oversaw the day-to-day operations of four military brigades while serving as the principal legal advisor for senior military officials on all aspects of criminal and administrative law. In particular, Top Federal Prosecutor Brown represented the United States in criminal cases and was assigned as lead prosecutor in various matters such as drug offenses, internet crimes against children, and violent crime.
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington
The Office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Washington welcomed U.S. Attorney William Brown in June 2007, following his military service. He was initially appointed as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Seattle Office, where he represented the United States and the Department of Justice in legal matters. Throughout the six years of working as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Top Federal Prosecutor Brown was assigned in the Office’s Criminal Division, wherein he managed a wide range of federal criminal cases, working from initial investigation to trial and sentencing, and then through the appellate process. His practice during these years primarily focused on firearm offenses, fraud, cases arising from local Indian Reservations, and violent crimes. United States Attorney William Brown also served a short stint as the Gang Coordinator of the Office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Washington, which required him to collaborate with federal and local law enforcement officers to prosecute gang members involved in crimes successfully. Additionally, he has served three years on the Office’s hiring committee.
Office of Washington State Governor Jay Inslee
In March 2013, U.S. Attorney Brown became the General Counsel for the Office of Washington State Governor Jay Inslee. Within the next four years, until June 2017, Top Federal Prosecutor Brown performed duties as the principal legal advisor for the Govern and his staff, in which he provided legal advice to the Office on an array of matters, including criminal justice policies, clemency petitions, high-priority litigation, Indian Law, judicial appointments, and tribal gaming. Prior to returning to the Office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Washington, U.S. Attorney William Brown joined the Pacifica Law Group as a Partner in the Litigation Group in July 2017. For almost four years, U.S. Attorney Brown worked to represent various entities and individuals, mainly assisting public and private clients on complex civil cases, municipal law, political matters, public policy, and regulatory litigation.
Bar and Court Admissions
Chief Federal Law Enforcement Official Nicholas W. Brown was admitted to practice law at the Washington State in June 2003. Since then, he has been admitted to practice in various courts, including the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit beginning in September 2007; the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington since July 2007; and in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington since August 2017.
Bar Admissions
- Washington State, June 2003
Bar Associations
- Washington State Bar
- Federal Bar Association of Western Washington, Member
- Trustee, January 2019 – December 2020
- Loren Miller Bar Association, Member
- King County Bar Association, Member
- Federal Judicial Selection Committee, Western District of Washington
- Co-Chair, April 2018 – December 2020
Court Admissions
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, September 2007
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, July 2007;
(March 2013 – July 2017, membership lapsed due to not practicing in federal court while Attorney Brown served as General Counsel to Governor Inslee). - U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington, August 2017
- All state courts in Washington, June 2003
Memberships
- Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, 2019 – Present
- Campaign for Equal Justice, 2018 – Present
- Washington State Bar Association Leadership Institute, 2017 – Present
- Treehouse, 2014 – Present
- Chair, September 2020 – Present
- Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission, 2018 –2020
- Chair, January 2020 – December 2020
- Faro International, 2017 – 2020
- Washington State Justice Reinvestment Initiative Task Force, 2014 – 2015
- Co-Chair, June 2014 – February 2015
- Washington State Public Records Exemptions Accountability Committee, 2013 – 2017
- Washington State Statute Law Committee, 2013 – 2017
- Harvard Club of Seattle, 2007 – May 2013
- Seattle Works, Board Member, 2007 – 2013
- Chair, January 2012 – December 2012
Most Significant Litigated Matters
During the first year of his service in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington, Top Federal Prosecutor Nicholas Brown was assigned a case where the defendant was a Customs and Border Protection Officer accused of facilitating illegal drugs through the nation’s borders. This case remained one of U.S. Attorney Brown’s most significant litigated matters, as it was his first federal trial, wherein he served as co-counsel. U.S. Attorney Brown has also noted a prosecution case occurring on a local Indian Reservation. The defendant was convicted of Aggravated Sexual Abuse for assaulting three of his younger cousins over a multi-year period. In this case, U.S. Attorney Brown served as the lead counsel for the United States. Among the many cases he handled, U.S. Attorney Brown collaborated several times with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) and other agencies. In a particular case, he served as the lead counsel for the United States during the investigation and prosecution of defendants who repeatedly got involved in the illegal selling of firearms, resulting in their conviction for Conspiracy to Unlawfully Deal Firearms.
10 most significant litigated matters handled by Attorney Nicholas W. Brown
- United States v. Desmone Bastian (2007 – 2009)
- United States v. Mark Ashmore et. al (2009 – 2011)
- United States v. Douglas Edwards (2008 – 2009)
- United States v. Gussoni et. al (2011 – 2012)
- United States v. Herman Roche et. al (2012 – 2013)
- United States v. SGT Charles R. Grigsby, Jr. (2005)
- United States v. William Anderson et. al (2008 – 2010)
- United States v. Shelia Mullineaux et. al (2010 – 2011)
- United States v. Shad Beach (2012 – 2013)
- United States v. Kaushal Kaith et. al (2009 – 2013)
Further details regarding the above litigations may be found in the public questionnaire accessible here.
Office Jurisdiction
A native of Western Washington, U.S. Attorney Nicholas W. Brown now leads the Office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Washington, known for handling the most civil claims made against the United States Government. He oversees a staff of approximately 143 employees, consisting of 76 Assistant U.S. Attorneys and 67 support personnel, who all work efficiently and consistently to enhance the safety and security of the district. Moreover, U.S. Attorney Nicholas Brown is in charge of handling all criminal prosecutions and civil litigations within the district’s jurisdiction, wherein the Office’s civil division is tasked with defending the government in civil matters and bringing affirmative cases to protect civil rights, among others. The office also collects debts owed to the United States.
Contact Details
Full Name: Nicholas William Brown
District/State: Western District of Washington
Public email ID: N/A
Seattle – Main Office
United States Attorney’s Office
700 Stewart Street, Suite 5220
Seattle, WA 98101-1271
(206) 553-7970
Main
(206) 553-0882
Fax
(800) 797-6722
Toll-Free
(206) 264-2765
ISDN
Tacoma – Branch Office
United States Attorney’s Office
1201 Pacific Avenue, Suite 700
Tacoma, WA 98402-4305
(253) 428-3800
Main
(253) 428-3826
Fax
Public Affairs Office
Emily Langlie
(206) 553-4110
Main
Emily.Langlie@usdoj.gov
E-mail Address
Social Media Profiles of Attorney Nicholas W. Brown
Username: Nick Brown
URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-brown-aaa91b3/
Username: U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington
URL: https://www.facebook.com/usaowdwa
YouTube
Username: U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington
URL: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsFSs0tQHJzbMA-vDhXBFcw
Username: WDWAnews
Tag: @WDWAnews
URL: https://twitter.com/WDWAnews
*personal
Username: U.S. Attorney Nick Brown
Tag: @USANickBrown
URL: https://twitter.com/usanickbrown
Updated: March 16, 2022