Senate confirms Dominick Gerace II as U.S. attorney for Southern Ohio

The U.S. Senate confirmed Dominick Gerace II to serve as United States attorney for the Southern District of Ohio.

Cleveland.com reported that President Donald Trump nominated Gerace for the post in July, and the Senate Judiciary Committee approved his nomination by a 16-6 vote in October.

Gerace, however, has been working as the interim U.S. attorney since August, when he thanked Trump for appointing him, calling the job “the honor of my lifetime.”

“I look forward to working closely with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to protect our communities and uphold the rule of law,” he said in a statement.

The Southern District of Ohio comprises 48 counties in southern Ohio and is home to more than 5 million residents. The district has offices in Columbus, Cincinnati, and Dayton. Approximately 100 prosecutors, civil litigators, and support personnel work for Gerace.

Back in October, the Senate also voted 51 to 47 to confirm David Toepfer as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, Cleveland.com wrote in another report.

According to the news source, Toepfer was among more than 100 Trump administration nominees who were confirmed in a single vote. The single-vote rule, approved by the Senate, allows multiple lower-level nominees to be confirmed in a single vote.

Toepfer will lead the U.S. attorney’s office that is based in Cleveland, which covers 40 counties in northern Ohio.

Just like Gerace, Toepfer has been serving in an interim role. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi appointed him back in July.

“It is the honor of a lifetime to serve the people of northern Ohio in this role,” Toepfer said back then. “Our office will continue working with our federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to protect the public by aggressively enforcing the laws of the United States.”

On Dec. 19, U.S. Sen. Bernie Noreno, R-Ohio, issued a press release claiming he was among the lawmakers who secured the nominations of both Gerace and Toepher.

“Both David and Dominick have dedicated their careers to defending the rule of law and prosecuting criminals, and I’m confident they will work tirelessly to keep communities in the Northern and Southern Districts safe,” Moreno said in a statement. “I’m proud to have secured confirmations for these key roles in my first year in office.”