Mark Totten

Mark Allen Totten is an American lawyer who is the designate to serve as United States attorney for the Western District of Michigan.

Mark Totten
United States Attorney for the Western District of Michigan
Designate
Assuming office
TBD
PresidentJoe Biden
SucceedingAndrew Byerly Birge
Personal details
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Kristin Totten
Children2
EducationCedarville University (BA)
Yale University (JD, PhD)

Early life and education

A native of Kalamazoo, Michigan, Totten attended the Kalamazoo Public Schools. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from Cedarville University in 1996, a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School, and a PhD in ethics from Yale University.[1]

Career

In 2007 and 2008, Totten served as a law clerk for Judge Thomas B. Griffith of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He also worked as an appellate staffer in the United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. From 2011 to 2013, he served as special assistant United States attorney in the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Michigan. Totten was the Democratic nominee in the 2014 Michigan Attorney General election, losing to incumbent Bill Schuette.[2]

In 2016 and 2017, Totten was an assistant prosecuting attorney in the Office of the Genesee County Prosecuting Attorney. From 2008 to 2018, he was a professor at the Michigan State University College of Law.[3] Since 2019, Totten has served as chief legal counsel to Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.[4]

U.S. attorney for the Western District of Michigan

On November 12, 2021, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Totten to serve as the United States attorney for the Western District of Michigan.[3] On November 15, 2021, his nomination was sent to the United States Senate.[5] On January 13, 2022, his nomination was reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee. On April 27, 2022, his nomination was confirmed in the Senate by voice vote.[6] He is awaiting his swearing-in.

Personal life

Totten and his wife, Kristin, have two children.[7] Kristin Totten is an education attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan who has represented children in Flint, Michigan, who were affected by contaminated water in the city.[8]

References
  1. Mauger, Robert Snell and Craig. "President Biden nominates Ison, Totten for Michigan U.S. attorney jobs". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
  2. "Mark Totten". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
  3. "President Biden Announces First U.S. Marshal Nominees and Eight New Nominees to Serve as U.S. Attorneys". The White House. 2021-11-13. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
  4. Mahler, Jonathan (2020-06-25). "A Governor on Her Own, With Everything at Stake". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
  5. "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. November 15, 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  6. "PN1383 - Nomination of Mark A. Totten for Department of Justice, 117th Congress (2021-2022)". www.congress.gov. January 13, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  7. "Bio sketches of candidates for attorney general > Detroit Legal News". legalnews.com. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
  8. "ACLU Lawyer Explains What $9 Million Special Education Fund Means For Flint Kids". www.wbur.org. Retrieved 2021-11-13.


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