Senate Confirms New U.S. Attorney and U.S. Marshal for the District of Maine in Party-Line Vote

by Libby Palanza | May 18, 2026

The United States Senate confirmed Andrew B. Benson as the United States Attorney for the District of Maine and David St. Pierre as the U.S. Marshal for the District of Maine in a party-line vote Monday evening.

These nominees were approved “en bloc” alongside 47 others, meaning that senators did not consider each candidate individually but rather voted to approve or reject the slate of nominees as a whole.

Despite bipartisan support for both of Maine’s nominees, Sen. Angus King (I) voted alongside Democratic lawmakers in voting against the entire group’s confirmation.

U.S. Attorney Benson was nominated by then-Attorney General Pamela Bondi on September 30, 2025. His appointment was effective as of October 22 pending confirmation, and he was sworn in on the same date.

U.S. Marshal St. Pierre was also nominated by the White House last fall with his confirmation passing out of committee in early March by a bipartisan vote of 20 to 2.

Sen. Susan Collins (R) has spoken highly of St. Pierre throughout the confirmation process, praising his more than three decades of law enforcement service and citing his leadership during the 2023 mass shooting in Lewiston.

He served as the Chief of the Lewiston Police Department from 2021 until his retirement from the force last year.

As chief, he oversaw a department of 99 employees and managed a budget exceeding $10 million.

A 2018 graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, St. Pierre is a member of the FBI National Academy Associates, the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Maine Chiefs of Police Association.

Sen. Collins expressed her support for St. Pierre in a statement following the approval of his confirmation by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

“I am pleased that the Judiciary Committee has advanced the nomination of David St. Pierre, who has dedicated more than three decades to protecting the people of Lewiston and strengthening partnerships across local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies,” said Collins.

“His steady leadership during the most challenging moment in Maine’s recent history, the tragic mass shooting of 2023, demonstrated his professionalism, composure, and deep commitment to both public safety and public service,” she continued.

“With his extensive experience and unique skill set, I am confident that Chief St. Pierre will serve the people of Maine admirably as U.S. Marshal,” said Collins.

Click Here to Read Sen. Collins’ Full Statement

Benson, Maine’s new U.S. Attorney, also has an extensive track record in his field.

A lifelong Mainer, Benson attended the University of Maine at Orono where he received an honors degree in German literature. He went on to receive his Juris Doctorate in 1988 from the University of Maine School of Law.

He worked for a district attorney’s office in central Maine trying serious and violent felonies. before being appointed as one of three senior homicide prosecutors for the Maine Attorney General’s Office by Maine Attorney General Andrew Ketterer in 1999.

Gov. Paul LePage (R) nominated Benson to the bench of the Maine District Court in 2014, a position for which he was unanimously confirmed. He was renominated by Gov. Janet Mills (D) in 2021, again receiving unanimous support from the Maine State Senate.

Benson resigned from his position on the Maine District Court in order to accept the White House’s nomination for U.S. Attorney.

Committee members overwhelmingly supported Benson’s nomination with a vote of 19-3.

Both of Maine’s nominees were recommended to the Trump Administration by Collins as the senior Republican member of Maine’s delegation.

Early last year, Collins created the Federal Appointments Advisory Committee to evaluate candidates for Senate-confirmed positions in Maine, including for U.S. Attorney and U.S. Marshal.

This committee was also designed to consider nominations for current and future vacancies, including, but not limited to, for U.S. Circuit Judge for the First Circuit, U.S. District Judge for the District of Maine, USDA Farm Service Agency State Director, USDA Rural Development State Director, and Federal Co-Chair of the Northern Border Regional Commission.

The U.S. Attorney serves as Maine’s chief federal law enforcement officer and is responsible for prosecuting criminal cases brought by the federal government, prosecuting and defending civil cases in which the United States is a party, and enforcing the collection of debts owed to the federal government.

The U.S. Marshals Service is the enforcement arm of the federal courts, and its officers play roles in multiple aspects of federal law enforcement activities.

Libby Palanza is a reporter for the Maine Wire and a lifelong Mainer. She graduated from Harvard University with a degree in Government and History. She can be reached at [email protected].

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