Margaret Chiara, Former US Attorney, Michigan

Margaret Chiara was the first female US Attorney to serve in Michigan. Chiara was nominated by President Bush in September 2001. In February 2007, she announced her resignation effective 16 March.

During her tenure, the district had a 15 percent increase in felony prosecutions and convictions. However, a DOJ official -- the recently-resigned chief of staff for Attorney General Gonzales, Kyle Sampson -- tagged her for dismissal in 2005, calling her a "weak" federal prosecutor and an "ineffectual manager and prosecutor" in an e-mail to the White House.

Chiara was not invited to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee in March because of mixed evaluations. According to Chiara, the evaluations "criticized her for not being open enough about how bonuses were awarded."

From the Detroit Free Press:

Chief Western District Judge Robert Holmes Bell on Tuesday called Chiara a focused prosecutor and administrator and described her as a dignified woman who had a "sense of what is right and wrong."

"We were mystified," Bell said of her dismissal. "She's too good."

The White House has named two interim US Attorneys. Brian K. Delaney will serve until mid-April. He will be succeeded by Charles R. Gross -- who was recalled to active duty as a colonel in the Marine Corps last year. (And who seems to have friends in high places, as his term is short relative to other military recalls and reserves.) Gross could remain in the position until 2009 -- and never testify before the Senate -- as the law currently stands.