Christina Elizabeth Nolan (born September 26, 1979) is an American attorney and politician who served as the

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...

for the

District of Vermont The United States District Court for the District of Vermont (in case citations, D. Vt.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the federal district of Vermont. The court has locations in Brattleboro, Burlington, and Rutland. The ...

from 2017 to 2021. Prior to becoming the U.S. Attorney, she was an

Assistant United States Attorney An assistant United States attorney (AUSA) is an official career civil service position in the U.S. Department of Justice composed of lawyers working under the U.S. Attorney of each U.S. federal judicial district. They represent the federal gove ...

in the District of Vermont, where she prosecuted a variety of criminal cases. A member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

, she was a candidate for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

in the 2022 election, losing the Republican primary. Nolan is considered a

moderate Republican Moderate Republicans may refer to: * Within the United States Republican Party: ** Moderate Republicans (Reconstruction era), active from 1854 to 1877 ** Moderate Republicans (United States, 1930s–1970s) or Rockefeller Republicans ** Moderate Rep ...

, and in her Senate campaign was endorsed by Governor Phil Scott.

Early life and education

Born in

Burlington, Vermont Burlington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located south of the Canada–United States border and south of Montreal. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 44,743. It ...

, Nolan is a 1997 graduate of Rice Memorial High School in

South Burlington South Burlington is a city in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. Along with neighboring Burlington, it is a principal city of the Burlington metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 20,292. It is home to the head ...

. She graduated ''summa cum laude'' from the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...

in 2001 with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in political science and history. In 2004, she received her

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

degree ''magna cum laude'' from the

Boston College Law School Boston College Law School (BC Law) is the law school of Boston College. It is situated on a wooded campus in Newton, Massachusetts, about 1.5 miles from the university's main campus in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. With approximately 800 studen ...

. Nolan was a senior editor of the '' Boston College Law Review'' and was admitted to the

Order of the Coif The Order of the Coif is an honor society for United States law school graduates. The name is a reference to the ancient English order of advocates, the serjeants-at-law, whose courtroom attire included a coif—a white lawn or silk skullcap, whi ...

Career

After graduating from law school, she served as

law clerk A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person, generally someone who provides direct counsel and assistance to a lawyer or judge by researching issues and drafting legal opinions for cases before the court. Judicial clerks often play significant ...

for Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV on the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Nolan previously served as an Assistant District Attorney in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. From 2005 to 2009, Nolan worked as a litigation associate at Goodwin Procter in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, where she specialized in

white collar criminal defense The term "white-collar crime" refers to financially motivated, nonviolent or non-directly violent crime committed by individuals, businesses and government professionals. It was first defined by the sociologist Edwin Sutherland in 1939 as "a ...

. She served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the

from 2010 to 2017. Nolan was recommended for the position of

U.S. Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

Patrick Leahy and Vermont Governor Phil Scott. She became the first woman to serve as

for the

. On February 8, 2021, officials of the new Biden administration requested the resignations of all but two U.S. Attorneys, as is typical for incoming presidential administrations. On February 16, Nolan announced her resignation, effective February 28. In January 2022, Nolan filed candidacy paperwork with the Federal Election Commission, reflecting that she was exploring a run for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senator from

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

in 2022. On February 22, 2022, she formally announced her candidacy in an exclusive interview with

Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...

, followed by release of a three-minute campaign video. Despite endorsements from prominent Vermont Republicans such as incumbent Vermont governor Phil Scott and former governor Jim Douglas, Nolan lost the Republican primary to

Gerald Malloy Gerald Malloy (born October 26, 1961) is a Democratic member of the South Carolina Senate, representing the 29th District since 2002. He replaced Edward Eli Saleeby after he died. In November 2020, Malloy announced that he would run for Senate ...

, a more conservative candidate, by a small margin.

Political positions

Nolan has identified as "an independent thinker" and has expressed willingness to work across the aisle. She identifies as an

environmentalist An environmentalist is a person who is concerned with and/or advocates for the protection of the environment. An environmentalist can be considered a supporter of the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that se ...

and supports LGBTQ+ rights. Nolan has voiced support for a public healthcare option, but she opposes

Medicare for All Single-payer healthcare is a type of universal healthcare in which the costs of essential healthcare for all residents are covered by a single public system (hence "single-payer"). Single-payer systems may contract for healthcare services from p ...

. If elected to the senate, Nolan did not commit to voting for

Mitch McConnell Addison Mitchell McConnell III (born February 20, 1942) is an American politician and retired attorney serving as the senior United States senator from Kentucky and the Senate minority leader since 2021. Currently in his seventh term, McConne ...

for Republican leader. Nolan also voiced her support for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's nomination to the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

; only three Republican Senators voted to confirm her. Nolan had refused to disclose whether she voted for

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

, who nominated her for U.S. Attorney, stating that it might cast doubt on her impartiality.

Personal Life

Nolan is gay.

References

External links

Biography at Sheehey Furlong & Behm
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nolan, Christina E. 1979 births 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century American women lawyers American prosecutors Assistant United States Attorneys Boston College Law School alumni Candidates in the 2022 United States Senate elections District attorneys in Middlesex County, Massachusetts American lesbian politicians LGBT appointed officials in the United States LGBT conservatism in the United States American LGBT lawyers LGBT people from Vermont Living people People from Burlington, Vermont United States Attorneys for the District of Vermont University of Vermont alumni Vermont lawyers Vermont Republicans 21st-century American LGBT people Goodwin Procter associates