Billy J. Williams

Billy John Williams (born 1956 in Toppenish, Washington)[1] is the United States Attorney for the District of Oregon. He was most recently confirmed to the position by the U.S. Senate in March 2018. Williams was originally named Acting U.S. Attorney of the district in April 2015 and was appointed to the position by Chief U.S. District Judge Michael W. Mosman in February 2016.[2] In November 2017, Williams was nominated by President Donald Trump to retain the position.[3] His nomination was supported by Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, Oregon's U.S. Senators.[4]

Billy J. Williams
United States Attorney for the District of Oregon
Incumbent
Assumed office December 18, 2015
President	Barack Obama Donald Trump
Preceded by	Amanda Marshall
Personal details
Born	1956 (age 63–64) Toppenish, Washington, U.S.
Alma mater	Washington State University, (A.B.) Willamette University College of Law, (J.D.)

Williams received a Bachelor of Arts in 1981 from Washington State University and his Juris Doctor in 1989 at the Willamette University College of Law.[5][6] Before entering federal service, he was a Deputy District Attorney in Multnomah County, Oregon.[6]

In 2017, he wrote an opinion piece in The Oregonian stating that "Oregon's sanctuary status declaration directly contravenes federal immigration law and threatens public safety".[7][8]

In February 2018, Williams convened a federal law enforcement summit in Portland at which he stated Oregon has a "formidable marijuana overproduction and diversion problem".[9] Oregon's Governor Kate Brown said that Williams told her "lawful Oregon businesses remain stakeholders in this conversation and not targets of law enforcement."[9] That and other comments were taken as "reassurances for rule-following Oregon [cannabis] businesses" in the wake of the January 2018 rescission of the Cole Memorandum.[10]