Last Updated on November 27, 2017 10:52 am
CHARLOTTE, N . C . – R. Andrew Murray was sworn in today as United States Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Mr. Murray was nominated by President Donald Trump on September 11 , 2017, and was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate on November 9, 2017. Chief U.S. District Judge Frank D. Whitney administered the oath of office to U.S. Attorney Murray this morning .
“It is an honor to serve as the United States Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina,” said U.S. Attorney Murray. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office has an important mission: to enforce our nation’s federal laws and to protect the citizen s of this district. It is a privilege to lead such a talented group of public servants dedicated to the pursuit of justice, and I look forward to working with our federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners on our shared commitment to serve and protect all communities throughout the Western District.”
As the top federal law enforcement officer in the district, U.S. Attorney Murray will now lead one of the busiest U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the country, currently employing approximately 80 fe deral prosecutors and staff, located in Charlotte and in Asheville. The office serves nearly three million residents throughout the 32 westernmost counties of the state of North Carolina, including residents of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indian reservation.
As a senior attorney practicing law in Mecklenburg County since 1992 , Mr. Murray h as a wide breadth of knowledge and experience in leadership and criminal law. Prior to becoming the United States Attorney, Mr. Murray served as the elected District A ttorney of North Carolina’s 26 th Prosecutorial D istrict, which covers all of Mecklenburg County. He is also a retired United States Coast Guardsman .
Mr. Murray began his law career in 1992 at the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office, where he served for three years as an Assistant District Attorney, working on several special prosecution teams. Mr. Murray went on to practice law in the private sector , as criminal defense attorney and later as managing partner of a law firm focusing on criminal law. Mr. Murray’s passion for public service and his desire to give back to the community led him back to the District Attorney’s Office . He was elected as District Attorney in 2010 and was re – elected to the position in 2014. As Dist rict Attorney, Mr. Murray focused his efforts on incorporating innovative strategies and forging strong partnerships to ensure the efficient and effective prosecution of state cases in Mecklenburg County .
Mr. Murray also serves a s a leader in the state a nd national prosecutorial communities. He served a s a member of the N orth Carolina Conference of District Attorneys’ executive committee, and from 2015 to 2016 serve d as the Conference’s P resident. Mr. Murray was also selected to join the North Carolina Co mmission on the Administration of Law and Justice, a multidisciplinary group tasked with conducting a comprehensive evaluation of the S tate’s judicial system and making recommendations to strengthen the State’s courts. Mr. Murray is also a member of the Bo ard for the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys’ Major County Prosecutors Council, comprised of district attorneys from across the nation working together to tackle challenges faced by prosecutors.
Mr. Murray joined the United States Coast Guard in 1980. Following his separation from active service, he continued to serve the United States through the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve . After 35 years of combined active and reserve military service, Mr. Murray retired from the U.S. Coast Guard as a Captain (O – 6).
Following his active duty service, Mr. Murray attended the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he earned a degree in P olitical S cience in 1989. Mr . Murray received his Juris Doctor in 1992, from the University of North Carolina School of Law. Mr. Murray is a member of the North Carolina State Bar and the Mecklenburg County Bar.
