The fair, equal, and apolitical administration of justice relies on a strong career cadre of federal prosecutors with deep knowledge of the law and insulation from political retaliation. The merit hiring system ensures only qualified AUSAs are handling federal criminal and civil cases. The civil service protections in place ensure AUSAs are only fired for their incompetence, not their refusal to execute a political demand.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSAs) are often stationed abroad alongside various federal law enforcement components to assist with prosecution of international criminals, including transnational criminal organizations. The assignments involve close inspection of some of our world’s most dangerous and well connected criminals.

NAAUSA does not support or oppose federal marijuana decriminalization. We believe this is a question properly left in the hands of Congress. As Congress considers expunging past marijuana convictions, we write to discuss (1) common misconceptions about the nature of federal marijuana convictions, (2) the impact of expungement on the criminal process, and (3) resource constraints that make expungement burdensome to the administration of justice.