A former federal prosecutor was nominated Thursday for U.S. attorney, succeeding Patrick Fitzgerald, Sens. Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk announced.
Zachary Fardon is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Illinois and the Middle District of Tennessee and currently serves as partner at Latham & Watkins LLP in Chicago.
The White House nominated Fardon from a group of four finalists that included Lori Lightfoot, Jonathan Bunge and Gil Soffer. Sources recently reported that Lightfoot was out of the running, leaving Fardon as the likely nominee.
“Zachary Fardon will be an exceptional U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois,” Durbin said. “His range of experience will serve him well in a city and region as diverse and challenging as the Northern District."
"Fardon is an outstanding pick to continue Patrick Fitzgerald's tradition of aggressively prosecuting criminal activity that threatens northern Illinois and lead our state in the fight against dangerous drug gangs and gun violence," Kirk said. "Northern Illinois deserves only the best nominee for this position, and the selection of Mr. Fardon is a testament to the success of a bipartisan approach."
Durbin said he advised Fardon "to hit the ground running and immediately focus on daily gang and gun violence plaguing the streets of Chicago.”
Durbin and Kirk sent the names of four finalists to the White House in December after they couldn't come to an agreement.
Fitzgerald left his post in June after nearly 11 years after helming politically connected convictions that included former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, former Gov. George Ryan, Ed Vrdolyak, Robert Sorich and Al Sanchez.
