By Brian Schott
ticklethewire.com
U.S. Atty. Alice Martin of Alabama, whose involvement in the prosecution of ex-Gov. Donald Siegelman has raised concerns of late, is resigning.
Martin, the U.S. Attorney for Northern Alabama, announced her decision Friday in a letter to Atty. Gen. Eric Holder, which was posted on the Department of Justice’s website. She cited the change in administration as the reason for her resignation.
Martin’s departure caps an eight-year career at the Department of Justice, where her office prosecuted several notable cases including terrorist bomber Eric Rudolph for four bombings, including the 1996 attack on Centennial Olympic Park. She also directed the prosecution of 15 HealthSouth employees involved in a $2.8 billion accounting scandal.
Recently Martin had come under fire for her involvement in the conviction of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, who is serving seven years in federal prison for a bribery conviction.
Forty Four former state Attorneys General have called for an investigation into the conviction amid charges that the prosecution was politically motivated, and The American Lawyer reports that the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility is looking into whether Martin committed any misconduct in the case.
The Justice Dept. is also investigating Martin’s unsuccessful prosecution of a corporation charged with selling Blackhawk helicopter plans to China. The plans turned out to be publicly available on the Internet, according to The American Lawyer.
President Barack Obama has nominated Joyce Vance, chief of the appellate division for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Northern Alabama, to replace Martin.
She has been approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee and is expected to be confirmed by the full Senate next week, The Birmingham News reports.
