Shanelle Booker becomes Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia
C. Shanelle Booker, a veteran federal prosecutor with deep ties to Georgia, has been named the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, marking the first time a Black woman has led the office.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – C. Shanelle Booker, a veteran federal prosecutor with deep ties to Georgia, has been named the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, marking the first time a Black woman has led the office.
Booker assumed her role on January 12 under the Vacancies Reform Act, following the resignation of U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia.
“It is an honor for me to serve the citizens of the Middle District of Georgia in this leadership role and to ensure the good work of the office continues seamlessly,” Acting U.S. Attorney Shanelle Booker said in a statement. “Upholding justice and ensuring the safety of all is our office’s utmost objective, alongside our strong law enforcement and community partners across the Middle District of Georgia.”
The Macon resident has served the Middle District of Georgia as a federal prosecutor since 2015, holding nearly every major leadership position, including First Assistant U.S. Attorney and Criminal Division Chief. She has led prosecutions in high-profile cases involving violent crime, child exploitation, sex trafficking, public corruption and fraud.
The Middle District of Georgia covers 70 counties and includes the cities of Macon, Albany, Columbus, Athens and Valdosta.
“During his tenure, U.S. Attorney Leary elevated seasoned trial attorneys to leadership positions in the office—marking many historic firsts for the Middle District of Georgia—including the first black woman and first female to hold the highest non-appointed position in the office; the first openly LGBTQ+ person to command a leadership role in the District; and the greatest number of women attorneys to hold leadership positions,” a release said.
“Serving our country for my entire legal career has been everything I hoped it would be; that is largely because I got to work alongside men and women who share the same vision of seeking justice,” Leary said.
