The reality TV star who is now the first Black U.S. attorney to serve in Washington

Morehouse graduate and reality TV star Nick Brown has made history as the first Black U.S. attorney to serve in Washington. Brown was confirmed on Thursday, September 30, as the new U.S. attorney for Western Washington on a voice vote of the Senate. The 43-year-old was sworn in by Chief U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinex.

Brown was one of eight nominees selected by U.S. President Joe Biden to serve as U.S. attorneys across the country. Replacing U.S. Attorney Brian Moran, who served from 2019 to 2021, Brown is now the top federal law enforcement official in the Western District of Washington.

Many political leaders including Washington Governor Jay Inslee have sent congratulatory messages to Brown. “Congratulations Nick Brown. Your work has already made a great impact on our state and our region,” Inslee tweeted. “Congratulations to Nick Brown on his appointment as US Attorney for Western WA! He is an impeccable choice with the background, experience, and dedication to justice to serve our region well,” Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan added.

Who is Brown?

Brown started his legal career as a judge advocate general in the Army after having graduated from Morehouse College and pursuing his J.D. from Harvard Law School. During his army career, he served at Fort Lewis-McChord, Fort Bliss and in Baghdad. He also ascended through the ranks to become captain.

From the U.S. Army, Brown went on to serve as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Washington, a position he held from 2007 to 2013. During this time there, he prosecuted more than 100 cases, including sex abuse trials and the prosecution of a Customs and Border Protection officer who allowed a Canadian woman to cross in the U.S. with large loads of marijuana in exchange for sex, according to a report by the Seattle Times.

Brown also prosecuted a police officer who illegally sold weapons at gun shows, the report added.

Brown subsequently served as Governor Jay Inslee’s counsel from 2013 through 2017, advising the governor on various issues, from the state’s 2014 moratorium on the death penalty to the legalization of marijuana, according to the Seattle Times.

Brown has also worked as a litigation partner at Pacifica Law Group in Seattle, where he took care of complex civil and public policy litigation. He was also a former commissioner on the Seattle Ethics and Election Commission.

Interestingly, beyond his work as a prosecutor, Brown participated in the second season of the popular reality competition series, Survivor, which aired in 2001. Although he did not win, it wasn’t a bad performance as he finished seventh out of 15 contestants. Tina Wesson of Knoxville, Tennessee, won the competition.

We may not see Brown going back to reality TV in the near future as he readies to make a difference in his new position as U.S. Attorney in western Washington.