As part of his new administration, District Attorney Jason Williams is shuffling the deck at the DA’s office, as is his privilege.
One of the first new hires is Robert White, a former Orleans Parish prosecutor who is currently the First Assistant District Attorney for Plaquemines Parish.
According to the Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate White is a master prosecutor. He is a Navy Veteran, graduate of the Brooklyn School of Law, and served as chief the executive officer at Naval Air Station Belle Chasse before joining the District Attorney’s office.
“Bob White has worked his whole life delivering real reforms for the public," Williams told the paper. "I don’t need folks to come and say everything that I already know, everything that I already believe. I want to be challenged, I want tough questions.”
White’s previous tenure with the District Attorney saw him serving as chief of public corruption. At the order of Interim DA Keva Landrum, he took over the closing months of the state’s prosecution of New Orleans police officers involved in the Danziger Bridge shooting.
White moved to the Plaquemines Parish District Attorney’s office in 2009.
Williams has also created a new position called First Administrative Officer.
Tyrone Walker, who headed up Williams’ campaign for District Attorney, will fill the new position.
Another key appointment is that of Emily Maw.
She is formerly with the Innocence Project and will head up a new civil rights division.
The purview of the new department is investigating cold cases, reviewing long sentences from previous District Attorneys and reversing wrongful convictions.
Meanwhile, prosecutors will be re-interviewing for their jobs in the coming weeks.