WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump nominated Thomas Govan Jr. to serve as the U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Alabama and Phil Williams Jr. to be the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Alabama Tuesday.
Govan will replace Kevin P. Davidson, the current acting U.S. attorney for the district. Louis V. Franklin Sr., who retired in 2021, was the last U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Alabama to be confirmed by the Senate.
Govan has been the chief of the Criminal Trials Division of the Alabama Attorney General’s office. He previously ran unsuccessfully for the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals in 2024.
The state’s middle district includes Montgomery and Dothan.
A U.S. attorney typically serves for four years or until a new appointment is made. Interim appointments are also possible.
Williams will replace Prim Escalona, who has been serving in the role since 2020. She was originally tapped to serve as the interim U.S. attorney by Attorney General Bill Barr. The district court then appointed her to remain in that position. She followed Jay Town, who left in 2020 to work for a defense contractor in Huntsville.
Williams, a former Republican state senator from 2010-2018, also served as the chief policy officer at the Alabama Policy Institute. He is the founder of Rightside Radio, a conservative radio program.
The northern district covers Huntsville and Birmingham.
“We have been working diligently to make sure that we have strong people in places to represent Alabama, to represent our nation,” U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told reporters on a call Wednesday.
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville said in a social media post that the two nominees “will do an excellent job serving our state and our country as U.S. Attorneys.”
The judicial nominees will now be considered in the U.S. Senate before a confirmation vote.