Cole Finegan, the former Denver city attorney and chief of staff to former Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, is on a list of nine candidates for U.S. attorney.

The White House announced President Joe Biden’s picks Tuesday morning. Besides Colorado, the list of nominees would respectively be the chief federal prosecutors in Hawaii, Rhode Island, North Carolina, Ohio, Vermont and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Finegan, if confirmed, would succeed President Trump’s choice, Jason Dunn. The Biden administration 93 prosecutorial positions to fill. So far, there are 25 nominees.

Finegan told Colorado Politics Tuesday that he’s “honored to be nominated by President Biden” and looks forward to the confirmation process.

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Since 2007, Finegan has been the managing partner for his private firm, Hogan Lovells in Denver. He has been involved in Denver civic affairs since 1987, including work on the redevelopment of the Stapleton Airport site, the former Gates Rubber Co. facility and Denver Union Station. His first law firm in Denver was Brownstein, Hyatt, Farber and Madden (now Brownstein, Hyatt, Farber & Schreck), where Finegan was recruited to join in 1987 by Tom Strickland, who later served as U.S. Attorney from 1999 to 2001. 

A well-known local lawyer in several capacities, Finegan was both city attorney and chief of staff to then-Mayor John Hickenlooper from 2003 to 2006. Under former Gov. Roy Romer, also a Democrat, Finegan also was the chief legal officer and the director of policy and initiatives for former Colorado Governor Roy Romer.

He was recommended by two long-time allies, Colorado’s U.S. senators, Hickenlooper and senior Sen. Michael Bennet, both prominent in Denver politics until they were elected to the Senate.

“Cole Finegan is a brilliant lawyer who understands the interface between government and the world it strives to serve as well as anyone I know. He will be fair, just, and dedicated, just as the U.S. Attorney in Colorado should be,” Hickenlooper said in a statement Tuesday morning.

Bennet also lauded Finegan’s history of service as well as his legal acumen.

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“Throughout his career, Cole has displayed tremendous judgement and integrity,” Bennet stated. “All of those who have worked with him know he is compassionate, decent, and committed to the rule of law. I am confident that Cole will serve as U.S Attorney for Colorado with humility and independence, and I will work hard for his confirmation.”

Before landing in Colorado, Finegan was the chief of staff to the-U.S. Rep. James Jones, a Democrat from Oklahoma. Finegan is a native of Oklahoma. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Notre Dame and while working for Jones, a law degree from Georgetown.

In a joint release, Bennet and Hickenlooper cited Finegan’s community involvement, including serving on the boards of the I Have a Dream Foundation. They also cited his work helping create Denver’s Family Justice Center to address domestic violence.

Finegan has received numerous commendations listing him as a top lawyer, including  “Lawyer of the Decade” in 2011 and “Lawyer of the Year” in 2013, both by Law Week Colorado.

Finegan also pens a weekly column about Denver issues for Colorado Politics’ news affiliate, The Denver Gazette.

In February, Colorado Politics reported that Bennet and Hickenlooper were considering Finegan as a potential nominee to be a federal district judge in Colorado.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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Colorado Politics’ Marianne Goodland contributed to this story.