The Western District of Michigan now has a new steward of justice following an appointment that speaks to decades of legal experience and prosecutorial gravity. On Monday, Acting Attorney General Pam Bondi appointed Timothy VerHey as the Interim United States Attorney for the Western District. According to information from the United States Attorney's Office, Chief United States District Court Judge Hala Y. Jarbou swore in VerHey, setting the stage for a new chapter in federal law enforcement across Michigan's western half and its upper peninsula, a region home to some 1.6 million people.
In his new role, nearly 35 years of legal action within the very fibers of Grand Rapids will inform VerHey's tenure – having tackled everything from drug offenses and violent crime to international fraud and child sex offenses. After cutting his teeth at the Grand Rapids law firm Warner, Norcross & Judd, VerHey joined the U.S. Attorney's Office in 1990. During his extensive career, his performance as a prosecutor has been recognized more than once for excellence by the Justice Department, and he is often approached to impart his trial skills to federal prosecutors nationwide.
Leading a sizable team, VerHey will oversee approximately 70 prosecutors, civil litigators, and support staff, "I am honored that Attorney General Bondi has asked me to serve as the U.S. Attorney for this district," VerHey said, in acknowledgment of the gravity of his duty. “The people of West Michigan expect that I and the members of this office will apply federal law in a fair and effective manner, and that is exactly what we will do," he is quoted in the statement released by the United States Attorney's Office.
With a decorated history, VerHey's appointment comes after an honor-laden career that started post-graduation from the University of Notre Dame Law School with honors, including a clerkship for the Honorable Harry W. Wellford, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
