In wake of marijuana policy shift, Sessions to appoint interim U.S. Attorney for NorCal
Published: Jan 5, 2018, 12:43 pm • Updated: Jan 5, 2018, 12:45 pm
By The Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO — The outgoing U.S. attorney in Northern California says his decision to leave the job was not spurred by Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ new marijuana policy.
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Brian Stretch said Friday it was the natural time in his career to move on to new challenges, and he had spent a fair amount of time in 2017 identifying a good opportunity to practice law privately.
Stretch will join the law firm Sidley Austin’s San Francisco office.
Stretch was appointed U.S. attorney in 2016 for a region that includes the San Francisco Bay Area. His last day is Saturday.
His departure allows Sessions to appoint an interim U.S. attorney just as the attorney general announced a new policy allowing U.S. attorneys to decide how aggressively to prosecute marijuana in states where it’s legal.
Topics: California, cole memo