Des Moines Sun

Senator Chuck Grassley, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, opened a nominations hearing on Wednesday for several key judicial and Department of Justice positions. The hearing considered A. Tysen Duva for Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division, Justice William J. Crain for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, and Alexander Van Hook for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana.

In his opening statement, Grassley highlighted the qualifications and experience of each nominee.

Regarding A. Tysen Duva, Grassley said: "Mr. Duva has been a federal prosecutor for nearly two decades in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida." He added that Duva "has extensive experience conducting investigations and prosecuting a wide array of criminal offenses," including drug trafficking, violent crime, public corruption, fraud, and illegal immigration.

Grassley noted that Duva has prosecuted hundreds of cases and tried 22 to verdict. He has received multiple awards from agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security, ICE, IRS, FBI, and Secret Service. "Mr. Duva’s success in prosecuting difficult cases certainly commands respect," Grassley stated. "And his real-world experience will be an asset to the Criminal Division."

On Justice William J. Crain's nomination to the Eastern District of Louisiana, Grassley said: "Justice Crain has been an attorney for four decades and he’s served as a judge for 15 years across every level of Louisiana’s state courts." Crain previously served three years as a trial judge in Louisiana’s 22nd Judicial District Court before moving to appeals with six years on Louisiana’s First Circuit Court of Appeals. Since 2019, he has served on the Supreme Court of Louisiana.

"As a jurist, Justice Crain has presided over and authored hundreds of judicial opinions," Grassley said. "With his extensive experience as a lawyer and judge, he’s extremely well qualified to serve on the federal bench."

Alexander Van Hook was also described as highly qualified by Grassley: "He clerked for judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana." Van Hook has spent 25 years as a federal prosecutor in Louisiana's Western District office and held roles including Deputy Criminal Chief and Acting U.S. Attorney.

"Mr. Van Hook has extensive courtroom experience, litigating hundreds of cases and trying 18 cases to verdict before a jury," Grassley said.

The hearing included remarks from Senators Kennedy and Moody introducing nominees and was scheduled with time limits to ensure efficiency.

After Senator Grassley's round of questions during this session, Senator Kennedy was set to preside over its remainder.