Attorney General-elect Jeff Jackson names top staff, including former Biden judge nominee
North Carolina Attorney General-elect Jeff Jackson announced his senior leadership team on Friday, including a former nominee for a federal judgeship whose nomination sparked a battle with Republicans in the U.S. Senate.
Per a news release from Jackson, Ryan Park will continue serving as the state’s solicitor general, a position he has held since 2020.
“I’m looking forward to getting started in January with this team of passionate, dedicated public servants,” Jackson, a Democrat, said. “We are going to work with our colleagues at the Department of Justice to be a shield for the people of North Carolina and to defend their rights and freedoms.”
President Joe Biden nominated Park to the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals this summer, but Sen. Thom Tillis brokered a deal with Democrats to block his confirmation last month. Then, Judge James Wynn — who Park would have replaced — decided to revoke his retirement, prompting fierce backlash from Tillis.
Park has previously worked at the U.S. Department of State and clerked for Supreme Court justices David Souter and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
As solicitor general, Park represents the state in court. In 2022, he argued on behalf of UNC-Chapel Hill at the U.S. Supreme Court as it defended its race-conscious admissions process.
Park adds to Jackson’s growing staff, which will take office next month as current Attorney General Josh Stein ascends to the governorship.
Jackson’s team will be led by Eric Wilson, who will serve as chief of staff. Wilson is currently the director of administrative services for Gov. Roy Cooper and has held several other roles in his administration.
Laura Howard, who currently serves as the general counsel for the Department of Public Safety, will be Jackson’s chief deputy attorney general. Daniel Mosteller, a member of Stein’s administration, will remain in the Department of Justice as Jackson’s associate deputy attorney general.
