CHARLESTON, W.Va. — William Thompson’s first days as the U.S. Attorney for West Virginia’s Southern District are so busy, they’re down to the minute.
Thompson took his oath of office on Oct. 13 to take over the district that has offices in Charleston, Huntington and Beckley. The U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination on Oct. 5.
He told MetroNews the days following the confirmation have been filled with plenty of meetings and time getting adjusted to the new role.
“I’ve been meeting with all the agency heads, meeting with the assistant United States attorneys, office staff, and the judges. It’s been incredibly busy but has been incredibly exciting,” Thompson said.
Thompson served as a circuit court judge in West Virginia’s 25th Judicial Circuit for more than a decade. He was appointed to that position in 2007 and re-elected in 2008 and 2016. He resigned in August after President Joe Biden nominated him for the position.
Thompson presided over several treatment courts, including the first family treatment court in West Virginia. Prior to becoming a Circuit Court Judge, Thompson practiced law at the law firm of Cook and Cook in Boone County, a release said.
Thompson told MetroNews he believes his experience in the courtroom will help him see all sides of an issue including what a judge thinks and may pay attention to.
He said he understands that every U.S. Attorney wants to curb the drug epidemic in Southern West Virginia but he said he offers a plan from his perspective as a judge.
“You know I’ve had to remove the children, I’ve had to deal with the overdoses, I’ve watched members of my community lose their lives. So I come with a different perspective, I’ll have a different spin,” he said.
“I am more interested in going up the food chain a little bit. Not just make an arrest to make an arrest, I would like to make an impact on some of the problems.”
So what does Thompson mean by going up the food chain? He said instead of ounces and grams, his office will go after pounds and kilos.
“A lot of times on a state level you’re dealing with people who suffer from addiction themselves who are dealing to support their own addiction. I want to deal with the people who are dealing to make money,” Thompson said.
“To do that, you go higher up the food chain so you take the profit out.”
Thompson said other immediate goals are to go after white-collar crimes, highly complex criminal litigation, and to go after domestic terrorism and political extremism.
He will oversee a staff of 34 attorneys and 41 non-attorney personnel located in offices in Charleston, Huntington, and Beckley. The office is responsible for prosecuting federal crimes in the district, including crimes related to terrorism, public corruption, child exploitation, firearms, and narcotics, a release said.
The office also defends the United States in civil cases and collects debts owed to the United States.
Thompson, a Boone County native, said he is ready to lead that office by example.
“I’m not a person who issues marching order, I just issue expectations. In order for me to issue expectations, I have to be able to do the same thing myself. If I want people to put their heart and soul into something, I have to be able to put my heart and soul into something,” he said.
Thompson was born in Charleston. He earned a degree in civil engineering from West Virginia University and a law degree from West Virginia University College of Law.
Thompson and his wife, Keri, are the proud parents of four children.