Eldridge nominated for U.S. Attorney

President Barack Obama has nominated William Connor Eldridge, Jr., for the position of U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, according to a statement from the office of U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark.

Lincoln and U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., recommended Eldridge, who is now the CEO of Arkadelphia-based Summit Bank.

If confirmed, Eldridge would fill a post vacant since Jan. 4, 2009, when former U.S. Attorney Bob Balfe resigned to serve in the Northwest Arkansas law offices of Mitchell Selig Gates & Woodyard. Balfe served as the U.S. Attorney since November 2004. He previously served as the elected state Prosecuting Attorney for Benton County from 2001 to 2004.

“I am proud to have recommended Conner for the position of U.S. Attorney for the Western District and I am pleased that the White House has moved forward with his nomination,” Lincoln said in her statement. “I have known Conner for years, and was impressed with his work as a member of my legislative staff. I believe he has the experience, intellect and integrity to serve the people of Arkansas with distinction, and I know he enjoys widespread support in the state. I hope that his nomination will proceed quickly, and I look forward to the opportunity to share Conner’s qualifications with my Senate colleagues.”

According to the Lincoln statement, Eldridge has served as a Special Deputy Prosecutor for the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office of Clark County, Ark. He has worked for Summit Bank and Summit Bancorp, Inc., since 2004, serving in various senior management positions. He was ultimately named Chief Executive Officer in 2008.

Following law school, he was a law clerk for the Honorable G. Thomas Eisele of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas from 2003 to 2004.  Eldridge graduated from Davidson College in 1999 and from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 2003.

The Department of Justice website says U.S. Attorneys “serve as the nation’s principal litigators” and there are 93 U.S. Attorneys in the United States, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Each U.S. Attorney is the chief federal law enforcement officer of the United States within the appointed jurisdiction. The primary jobs of a U.S. Attorney are: the prosecution of criminal cases brought by the Federal government; the prosecution and defense of civil cases in which the United States is a party; and the collection of debts owed the Federal government which are administratively uncollectible.