David Nahmias
Encyclopedia
David Nahmias is an associate justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia and the former United States Attorney
for the Northern District of Georgia
.
, where he attended Briarcliff High School
and was the state’s STAR student. He attended Duke University
, where he graduated second in his class and summa cum laude, and Harvard Law School
, where he graduated magna cum laude and was an editor of the Harvard Law Review
. He then clerked for Judge Laurence H. Silberman
of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and Justice Antonin Scalia
of the Supreme Court of the United States
.
s, arson
, and explosives cases, and worked extensively on the investigation of the Centennial Olympic Park
and subsequent bombings that resulted in the indictment of Eric Robert Rudolph
. Nahmias then worked in the Fraud and Public Corruption Section, where he successfully prosecuted a Georgia State Senator on corruption charges and several personal injury lawyers and chiropractors on tax and fraud charges, and served as the co-lead prosecutor on a major investigation of public corruption in the City of Atlanta and Fulton County
governments. His work in Atlanta was recognized in 2002 with the Director’s Award for Superior Performance by an Assistant U.S. Attorney.
Beginning in late October 2001, Nahmias was detailed to the United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
in Washington to serve as Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General. In that capacity, Nahmias coordinated the investigations and prosecutions of Al Qaeda and other terrorist activity around the United States and in numerous foreign countries, assisted in counterterrorism policy-making, and served as a DOJ liaison to other Federal agencies on terrorism-related issues. On August 1, 2003, Nahmias was appointed as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Division, responsible for supervision of the Counterterrorism Section; the Fraud Section, which handles policy and litigation matters including corporate, securities, and health care fraud cases and the Enron Task Force; the Appellate Section; and the Capital Case Unit.
After being nominated by the President and confirmed by the United States Senate
, on December 1, 2004, Nahmias returned home to Atlanta to take office as the United States Attorney
for the Northern District of Georgia. He served as the chief federal law enforcement officer in the district and managed an office with approximately 75 lawyers who represent the United States in all criminal and civil litigation in federal court in the district. In January 2005, Nahmias was appointed to serve on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of United State Attorneys (AGAC), which reviews and recommends policies for federal prosecutors nationwide. The Attorney General also appointed Nahmias as Chairman of two of the AGAC’s most important subcommittees: Terrorism and National Security (September 2005-October 2007) and White Collar Crime (October 2007-2009).
on August 13, 2009, to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Leah Ward Sears
. He took office on Sept. 3, 2009 and won re-election in November 2010.
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
for the Northern District of Georgia
United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia is a United States District Court which serves the residents of forty-six counties...
.
Education and early career
Nahmias grew up in Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, where he attended Briarcliff High School
Briarcliff High School (DeKalb County, Georgia)
Briarcliff High School was a public high school opened by the DeKalb County School System in 1958 in order to relieve overcrowding at Druid Hills High School...
and was the state’s STAR student. He attended Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, where he graduated second in his class and summa cum laude, and Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
, where he graduated magna cum laude and was an editor of the Harvard Law Review
Harvard Law Review
The Harvard Law Review is a journal of legal scholarship published by an independent student group at Harvard Law School.-Overview:According to the 2008 Journal Citation Reports, the Review is the most cited law review and has the second-highest impact factor in the category "law" after the...
. He then clerked for Judge Laurence H. Silberman
Laurence H. Silberman
Laurence Hirsch Silberman is a senior federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He was appointed in October 1985 by Ronald Reagan and took senior status on November 1, 2000. He continues to serve on the court...
of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and Justice Antonin Scalia
Antonin Scalia
Antonin Gregory Scalia is an American jurist who serves as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. As the longest-serving justice on the Court, Scalia is the Senior Associate Justice...
of the Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
.
Federal career
After practicing with the law firm of Hogan & Hartson in Washington, D.C., Nahmias joined the U.S. Attorney's Office in Atlanta in January 1995. He initially handled a number of armed robbery, firearmFirearm
A firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...
s, arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
, and explosives cases, and worked extensively on the investigation of the Centennial Olympic Park
Centennial Olympic Park
Centennial Olympic Park is a 21 acre public park located in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA that is owned and operated by the Georgia World Congress Center Authority. The park was built by the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games as part of the infrastructure improvements for the Centennial...
and subsequent bombings that resulted in the indictment of Eric Robert Rudolph
Eric Robert Rudolph
Eric Robert Rudolph , also known as the Olympic Park Bomber, is a criminal responsible for a series of bombings across the southern United States between 1996 and 1998, which killed two people and injured at least 150 others in the name of an anti-abortion and anti-gay agenda...
. Nahmias then worked in the Fraud and Public Corruption Section, where he successfully prosecuted a Georgia State Senator on corruption charges and several personal injury lawyers and chiropractors on tax and fraud charges, and served as the co-lead prosecutor on a major investigation of public corruption in the City of Atlanta and Fulton County
Fulton County, Georgia
Fulton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its county seat is Atlanta, the state capital since 1868 and the principal county of the Atlanta metropolitan area...
governments. His work in Atlanta was recognized in 2002 with the Director’s Award for Superior Performance by an Assistant U.S. Attorney.
Beginning in late October 2001, Nahmias was detailed to the United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
The U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division develops, enforces, and supervises the application of all federal criminal laws in the United States, except those specifically assigned to other divisions. Criminal Division attorneys prosecute many nationally significant cases and formulate and...
in Washington to serve as Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General. In that capacity, Nahmias coordinated the investigations and prosecutions of Al Qaeda and other terrorist activity around the United States and in numerous foreign countries, assisted in counterterrorism policy-making, and served as a DOJ liaison to other Federal agencies on terrorism-related issues. On August 1, 2003, Nahmias was appointed as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Division, responsible for supervision of the Counterterrorism Section; the Fraud Section, which handles policy and litigation matters including corporate, securities, and health care fraud cases and the Enron Task Force; the Appellate Section; and the Capital Case Unit.
After being nominated by the President and confirmed by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
, on December 1, 2004, Nahmias returned home to Atlanta to take office as the United States Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
for the Northern District of Georgia. He served as the chief federal law enforcement officer in the district and managed an office with approximately 75 lawyers who represent the United States in all criminal and civil litigation in federal court in the district. In January 2005, Nahmias was appointed to serve on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of United State Attorneys (AGAC), which reviews and recommends policies for federal prosecutors nationwide. The Attorney General also appointed Nahmias as Chairman of two of the AGAC’s most important subcommittees: Terrorism and National Security (September 2005-October 2007) and White Collar Crime (October 2007-2009).
Supreme Court
Nahmias was named to the Supreme Court of Georgia by Governor Sonny PerdueSonny Perdue
George Ervin "Sonny" Perdue III, was the 81st Governor of Georgia. Upon his inauguration in January 2003, he became the first Republican governor of Georgia since Benjamin F. Conley served during Reconstruction in the 1870s....
on August 13, 2009, to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Leah Ward Sears
Leah Ward Sears
Leah Ward Sears is an American jurist and former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia. Sears was the first African-American female Chief Justice in the United States...
. He took office on Sept. 3, 2009 and won re-election in November 2010.