Maine District Court judge Andrew Benson, President Donald Trump’s pick for the state’s next U.S. attorney, has been sworn into the position.
Benson was nominated on Sept. 30 to serve a four-year term as U.S. attorney for the District of Maine. He was appointed U.S. Attorney for the District of Maine on Oct. 22 by Attorney General Pam Bondi, and was sworn in on the same date by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Lance E. Walker.
The appointment occurred during the government shutdown. The announcement was released Monday as the federal government returns to regular operations. Benson will be confirmed in the position once the U.S. Senate issues approval.
The office is one of the top state-level prizes awarded when the White House changes hands. Maine Republicans have been speculating heavily about the pick since Trump won the 2024 election, particularly after he took office with an aggressive agenda to reshape the federal government in his image.
Benson was a favorite for the U.S. attorney post and considered a conventional pick among possible nominees.
He was nominated to the bench by former Gov. Paul LePage in 2014 and reappointed by Gov. Janet Mills in 2021. Before that, he was the senior homicide prosecutor in the Maine attorney general’s office.
BDN Reporter Ethan Andrews contributed to this report.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated that Andrew Benson has been confirmed as Maine’s top attorney. He has been appointed.