Attorney General Jeff Sessions requesting the resignations of 46 U.S. attorneys in March 2017 illustrated the standard but contested practice of clearing holdover federal prosecutors at the start of a new administration.
Key Facts
- Date of request
- March 10, 2017
- Attorneys asked to resign
- 46
- Already vacant or resigned posts
- 47
- Attorney General
- Jeff Sessions
- Comparable Biden action (2021)
- 56 Trump-era attorneys asked to resign
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
When President Donald Trump took office in January 2017, dozens of U.S. attorney positions remained filled by appointees from the Obama administration. It is customary for incoming administrations to replace these politically appointed prosecutors, though the timing and method vary. The Trump administration chose to act collectively in March 2017.
On March 10, 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions formally requested the resignations of 46 sitting U.S. attorneys. The move was described by media as abrupt and unexpected, though not unprecedented. Some individuals declined to resign and were not immediately removed, while 47 other posts were already vacant or had been vacated at the start of the administration.
The mass resignation request drew significant media attention and criticism over its manner of execution. It established a precedent that subsequent administrations repeated: in February 2021 the Biden administration asked 56 remaining Trump-era attorneys to resign, and in February 2025 the second Trump administration dismissed all remaining Biden-era U.S. attorneys.