CHARLESTON, W.Va. — William S. Thompson was formally sworn in Thursday as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia, around one year since he was confirmed to the position by the U.S. Senate.
Thompson was nominated to the position by President Biden in August 2021. He said during his Investiture Ceremony that he pledges to continue the office’s mission of promoting justice and fighting crime throughout the district.
“My focus is on making our communities safer and more secure, and to hold people accountable for their actions,” Thompson told the members of the federal judiciary, distinguished guests, family and other well-wishers.
He laid out his priorities as cracking down on drugs, white-collar crime and domestic terrorism.
Thompson affirmed his commitment to targeting the mid- and upper-level distributors of illegal drugs while supporting and working with recovery and prevention groups. Thompson noted that the epidemic of fatal drug overdoses remains all too real in the district: the latest casualties include a former baseball teammate of his son who died the previous evening.
“A priority of this office is to go after the drugs that are actually killing our communities, such as fentanyl, other opiates and meth,” he said. “This is where a lot of the violence in our communities is actually coming from.”
In his role, Thompson is the chief law enforcement officer in the southern half of the state. Thompson leads an office of 34 attorneys and 41 non-attorney personnel located in offices in Charleston, Huntington, and Beckley. The office is responsible for prosecuting federal crimes in the district including crimes related to terrorism, public corruption, child exploitation, firearms, and narcotics. The office also defends the United States in civil cases and collects debts owed to the United States.
U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) spoke during the ceremony and hailed the selection of Thompson as U.S. Attorney.
“Today, we had the honor of celebrating Will Thompson’s dedication to the great state of West Virginia and the rule of law,” Manchin said. “Will’s work speaks for itself, and I’m pleased to be able to celebrate my friend today at his investiture ceremony. Congratulations to Will and Keri on this new endeavor and thank you for your continued service to the Mountain State.”
Congratulations to my good friend, Will Thompson, on his investiture today as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia. Will knows better than anyone the challenges the southern part of our state faces, & I’m thankful for his service to our state & our country pic.twitter.com/qbIxVXMJhi
— Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) October 13, 2022
U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) also lauded Thompson’s selection.
“U.S. Attorney Thompson’s professional experience make him uniquely qualified to serve West Virginians in this capacity,” said Capito. “He has shown great leadership and professionalism throughout his career, and I am confident in his ability to uphold the rule of law and protect our communities here at home. I congratulate U.S. Attorney Thompson on his investiture today, and know he will continue to serve West Virginia honorably.”
The United States Senate confirmed Thompson by voice vote on October 5, 2021. Today’s ceremony follows a private swearing-in conducted on October 13, 2021.