Attorney known for helping prosecute Aryan Knights gang confirmed as Idaho U.S. attorney
Two months after President Joe Biden nominated a new U.S. attorney for the District of Idaho, the U.S. Senate confirmed Josh D. Hurwit to the position Monday.
With the approval, Hurwit, 42, becomes the U.S. Justice Department’s leading official for prosecuting federal crimes in the state. The U.S. Senate confirmed the 10-year assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Idaho on a voice vote, meaning without opposition or the need for a roll call vote.
“I’m very honored to have been nominated and grateful to the Senate to be confirmed,” Hurwit told the Idaho Statesman by phone Monday night. “I’m looking forward to being sworn in and eager to get started working with my trusted colleagues in this capacity.”
Once Hurwit is sworn in, he will take over the mantle from Rafael M. Gonzalez Jr., who has operated as the acting U.S. attorney for the District of Idaho since President Donald Trump-appointee Bart Davis, a former Idaho Senate majority leader, resigned last year. He did so at Biden’s request, just as Trump asked of former President Barack Obama’s appointees once he took office.
Hurwit is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Law School, according to a White House press release in April announcing Biden’s nomination. He went on to law clerk for Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York before working for four years as an associate attorney at three private law firms, the release said. In 2012, he joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho.
As an assistant attorney in the office, Hurwit helped lead the federal prosecution of a white supremacist group known as the Aryan Knights, according to prior Statesman reporting. Ten gang members were charged in the case, with their leader receiving a life sentence in federal prison.
Hurwit also was part of the successful prosecution of a dairy farm in Shoshone for violating the Clean Water Act, as well as the settlement with a Lewiston paper company for air pollution violations.
U.S. Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, extended his and his wife’s congratulations to Hurwit in an emailed statement to the Statesman.
“During his tenure as assistant U.S. attorney, Hurwit earned the respect of his colleagues as an effective prosecutor,” Risch said. “Vicki and I wish him and his family the best as he assumes his new role.”
Hurwit was among four other U.S. attorney nominees whom Biden selected in April. Each was chosen, according to the release, for “their devotion to enforcing the law, their professionalism, their experience and credentials in this field, their dedication to pursuing equal justice for all and their commitment to the independence of the Department of Justice.”
Hurwit declined to identify what he hoped to establish as specific priorities of the office under his leadership until he is sworn in. He thanked Risch and fellow U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, for their acceptance of his nomination.
“I’m looking forward to continuing to serve alongside the outstanding women and men of the office who work extremely hard to serve Idaho and achieve justice under the law,” Hurwit said. “I’m also grateful to U.S. attorneys before me, who demonstrated how I might contribute to this mission as a U.S. attorney.”
Crapo’s office did not respond to Statesman requests for comment.
This story was originally published June 13, 2022 at 8:49 PM with the headline "Attorney known for helping prosecute Aryan Knights gang confirmed as Idaho U.S. attorney."
