U.S. Attorney General William Barr appointed South Carolina Rep. Peter McCoy (R) as the interim United States attorney for the District of South Carolina on March 30. McCoy resigned from the state House of Representatives that day to be sworn in to the position.

Pres. Donald Trump (R) nominated McCoy to a permanent U.S. attorney position in February, but his appointment has not yet been acted upon by the Senate. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Barr appointed McCoy as acting U.S. attorney pending his confirmation. The role had been vacant since former U.S. attorney Sherri Lydon accepted a federal judgeship with the United States District Court in South Carolina last year.

As the interim U.S. attorney, McCoy is the chief federal law enforcement officer in South Carolina and the administrative head of the Office of the United States Attorney. Prior to his appointment, he was a partner at law firm McCoy and Stokes and represented District 115 in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 2010 up until his resignation this week.

McCoy’s departure from the legislature creates the only current vacancy in the South Carolina House, which will be filled by special election. South Carolina voters will vote in two primaries in the district on June 9. One is a special primary, the winners of which will advance to a special election to serve the remainder of McCoy’s term. The other is the regularly scheduled primary to select candidates for the general election in November.

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United States Attorney
Sherri Lydon