The federal government officially has a new top cop in Mississippi.
Mike Hurst was sworn in October 10 as the U.S. Attorney for the state’s Southern District. President Donald Trump nominated Hurst to replace Greg K. Davis, a Barack Obama appointee.
Hurst had been the director of the Mississippi Justice Institute and general counsel for the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, a conservative think tank. In 2015, he ran unsuccessfully for attorney general against Democrat Jim Hood.
Prior to that, Hurst was an assistant federal prosecutor focusing on public corruption cases, including that of former state corrections commissioner Chris Epps.
Hurst attended Millsaps College in Jackson and The George Washington University Law School. His family lives in Sandhill.
Trump has nominated Chad Lamar as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi.